Councilman Doug Shields - Reclaiming Self-Government
Doug Shields, Councilman City of Pittsburgh City Council – Council District 5
The oil and gas industry has spent millions to promote their special interests over the concerns of ordinary citizens and local governments. While their talking points may seem compelling, there is no discussion about adverse health and land use impacts. They leave an impression that industrializing our communities with drilling pads, heavy truck traffic, noise pollution, poisonous fumes, and degradation of local water supplies is not only safe and non-intrusive, it’s a done-deal and there was nothing we can do about it.
I rejected that premise and introduced legislation that prohibited hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) in the City of Pittsburgh. City Council unanimously approved this legislation and adopted a citywide “Community Bill of Rights.” In an increasingly rare moment of unity, we were greeted by a standing ovation by Pittsburgh residents attending the meeting!
The legislation evolved in a lax regulatory environment that placed corporate interests above the rights of citizens as provided for in Pennsylvania’s Constitution (Article 1 §25-27). Elected local representatives had essentially been told that this was not our concern. As a public official, I took an oath to protect the health, safety and welfare of our community. How could I – or any elected official—in good conscience allow hydro-fracking without determining the real risks to the health, welfare and safety of those we serve?
The bill was crafted to protect residents’ rights to clean air and clean water and declared that it is the people of Pittsburgh—not energy corporations – who have the right to make the rules for their community. The ordinance also prohibited activities like natural gas extraction which would violate those rights.
This is an idea whose time has come – expanding municipal authority in the face of the failure of state governments, and the federal government, to protect people’s interests over corporate ones. Although I knew that my frustration was shared by other elected officials, I was still surprised by the number of municipalities across the country that began to follow our lead. In the months following the adoption of the Pittsburgh ordinance, other municipalities in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and New York have adopted similar bills of rights.
In sponsoring the Pittsburgh ordinance, I was inspired by Envision Spokane, the first organization in the nation to propose a Community Bill of Rights. Although that initiative failed to pass in 2009, the coalition of neighborhood advocates, labor unions, and community groups has requalified a Community Bill of Rights initiative. Spokane voters will have a chance to approve it as an amendment to the city’s charter on this year’s November ballot.
The Pittsburgh ordinance and the proposed Spokane law establish a local Bill of Rights for City residents, provide the highest rights-based protections for the natural environment (including the Spokane River) and elevate the rights of people and nature above the “rights” claimed by corporations. It’s time for our communities to step up to the plate and begin to drive a municipal movement towards economic and environmental sustainability. If we don’t, nobody will.