On Monday, July 14, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission will present the Ralph W. Abele Conservation Heritage Award, the agency's highest conservation honor, to former legislator Franklin Kury. The award is in recognition of Kury's "lasting conservation impact as the author and champion of Article 1, Section 27, of the Pennsylvania Constitution, also known as the Environmental Rights Amendment.
The event will also feature a discussion on the significance of Article 1, Section 27. Peter Duncan, former secretary of the Department of Environmental Resources and former executive director of the Pennsylvania Game Commission, will moderate the discussion. This session will include a taped interview with John Dernbach, Distinguished Professor of Law at Widener University.
Kury served as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 1968 to 1972, and as a member of the Pennsylvania Senate from 1972 to 1980. In addition to his leadership in enacting the Environmental Rights Amendment, Kury played a lead role in the passage of the Flood Plain and Storm Water Management Acts, the State Scenic Rivers Act, and numerous other environmental and conservation laws.
In its December 19, 2013, decision in Robinson Township v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court breathed new life into Article 1, Section 27, as it overturned key parts of the state's new unconventional natural gas drilling law commonly known as Act 13. Chief Justice Ronald Castille articulated a new framework in Robinson for evaluating government decisions under Article 1, Section 27, including the government's exercise of its public trust powers relating to the environmental impact of its actions on present and future generations.
The July 14 event is open to the public and doors open at 6:30 p.m. for the 7:00 p.m. event.
Steve Stroman is policy director for PennFuture and is based in Harrisburg. He tweets @SteveStroman1.
