A proposal to create a “Watersheds Bill of Rights” has qualified for the Lane County ballot next May.
Measure 20-373 aims to give watersheds, ecosystems and wildlife the right to “naturally exist, flourish, regenerate and evolve." It would also grant people the right to clean and affordable water access.
A person could then sue a business, corporation or government for infringing on these rights. And Lane County would be required to "enforce and defend this law to the fullest extent possible."
Chief petitioner Michelle Holman said she’s concerned about the timber industry’s chemical spraying practices, and other chemical dumping by corporations. But she said the current legal limits don’t adequately protect against pollution.
“When you go to your Congress people, when you go to your regulatory agencies, when you talk to corporate heads, they will tell you, this is all legal," said Holman. "Just because it's legal doesn't mean it's right.”
If found liable, an offending party would have to pay the cost of restoring the watershed—plus an additional 1% of that cost per day, for each day that the problem wasn't fixed once it had been reported to a government authority.
According to the petitioners, those fines would be routed to Lane County to implement.
The Lane County Clerk approved petitioners to begin circulating petitions in October 2023. This August, the petitioners returned with more than 14,000 signatures.
Holman said supporters are now preparing for a difficult campaign, and expects companies that would be affected by this law to outspend them.
"Those big guys have a cadre of lawyers and a bank account that we can't come close to touching," said Holman. "What we have is the people power, and we're we're banking on that."
