For Immediate Release
Sunday, August 14, 2022
Contact Person: Chris Robinson
267-977-0570, [email protected]
PA Green Gubernatorial Candidates Say “End Legalized Bribery!”
The Harrisburg Four were arrested inside the PA Capitol on June 13. They appeared in magisterial court on August 9, including Green Party candidate for PA Lt Governor Michael Bagdes-Canning. The Four were in the Capitol, appealing to all 203 members of the PA House of Representatives to support a gift ban. The Gift Ban, HB 1214, is a bill to ban lobbyist gifts to legislators. It has been supported by a number of organizations including March on Harrisburg and the Green Party of Pennsylvania (GPPA, www.gpofpa.org).
All of the defendants used a necessity defense and were found not guilty of various charges including criminal trespass. The defendants’ arguments included citing a recent report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which compiled the scientific findings from thousands of studies around the world. The report made a stark case that climate change is accelerating, is caused by human development, and can only be halted by a rapid transition away from fossil fuels and carbon-intensive industry.
"The IPCC lays out the case for urgent action clearly in their recent report on climate change, and we're glad Judge O’Leary agreed," said Bagdes-Canning. "We're calling on all elected officials and candidates this year to pledge to uphold Article 1, Section 27, of the Pennsylvania Constitution demanding that we protect the environment for future generations, instead of taking lobbying gifts – sometimes called 'bribes' -- from fossil fuel companies which are destroying that future."
“From the beginning, March on Harrisburg and Veterans for Peace were with us,” said Bagdes-Canning. “They lent their expertise and helped recruit folks for the action. The Ohio Valley Environmental Resistance and Extinction Rebellion, too, were plugged in, and they brought their skills.”
"I find it disgusting that corruption is effectively legal in PA," said Green Party candidate for PA Governor Christina DiGiulio. "I support the Harrisburg Four's message. When elected PA Governor, I pledge to support a lobbying gift ban and to refuse bribes from lobbyists, especially fossil fuel interests. I promise to fight for a just transition that bans fracking statewide, while making sure no worker or family is left behind."
"I call on all candidates for PA Governor this year to make the same pledge and to declare a climate emergency," DiGiulio added. "Climate action cannot wait. We must act now."
To join the DiGiulio Campaign for PA Governor and the Bagdes-Canning Campaign for PA Lt. Governor, please sign up here, https://www.greenslate2022.com/volunteer.
To contribute to their Campaign, please visit, https://www.greenslate2022.com/donate.
For more information:
Constitution of the Commonwealth of PA, Article 1, Paragraph 27, Natural Resources and the Public Estate, https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/LI/consCheck.cfm?txtType=HTM&ttl=00&div=0&chpt=1&sctn=27&subsctn=0
“'Delay means death' - UN climate report urges immediate, drastic action,”
Gift Ban Legislation, PA House Bill 1214 (HB 1214), https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/pn/public/btCheck.cfm?txtType=HTM&sessYr=2021&sessInd=0&billBody=H&billTyp=B&billnbr=1214&pn=1274
END ITEM *** END ITEM *** END ITEM