Wisconsin Democrats have proposed legislation that would grant "rights of nature" to their most popular state park.
The legislation was part of a package of bills that Democrats in the state assembly introduced in October, the Wisconsin Examiner reports, and it comes on the heels of a Republican-proposed bill that would prevent local governments from granting these types of nature rights.
This specific legislation would grant rights to Devil's Lake State Park and would codify that the park has the right to "flourish, evolve, and be clean." It would also give people the right to sue in the name of the park to enforce its rights, and anyone who infringes on those rights could be forced to pay damages.
The legislators also proposed a joint resolution that says "nature has inherent rights" and that Wisconsin "has a duty to uphold those rights as part of its enduring conservation legacy and its responsibility to future generations."
A growing movement has seen groups work to grant "rights of nature" to areas such as forests and bodies of water and accord them similar rights and protections as people. However, some states have passed bills banning such rights from being granted.
In 2023, Milwaukee's county board granted rights of nature to protect Lake Michigan, as well as the Menominee, Milwaukee, and Fox Rivers. Green Bay's council has also considered a similar measure.
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Earlier this year, two Wisconsin Republicans proposed a bill that would ban local governments from granting such rights, saying that allowing nature to have rights "represents a dangerous shift in legal precedent."
Along with their "rights of nature" bill, Democrats also proposed to reinstate a law that would not allow a company to be granted a permit unless it could prove a mine could operate for 10 years and be shuttered for 10 years without harming the environment.
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