Episode 014: What is Pennsylvania’s Rural Bill of Rights?

This week Shana sat down with Michelle Siegel. Michelle is a candidate for Pennsylvania State Senate District 27. She was raised in Selinsgrove, PA, and still resides there with her family. She attended Susquehanna University and graduated Summa Cum Laude with a B.S. in Earth and Environmental Sciences.

Together Shana talked with Michelle about her concerns for her community’s environment and how corporate greed and negligence can harm hardworking people. She recalled, as a child her grandmother took her for a walk in the woods, where she showed Michelle the unlined ash dam pit that had poisoned their family’s well. The water contamination caused her uncle to develop ulcerative colitis, which progressed to colon cancer because he was unable to afford treatment and passed away at a young age.

These experiences set her on a path towards studying Environmental Science and Climate Change. Michelle stressed that as a state senator she will be a staunch defender of our state’s constitutional guarantee of clean air, soil, and water as stated Article 1 Section 27.  She also expressed other issues in her region like high unemployment and healthcare costs must be addressed. For Michelle, she believes we need to pass the Rural Bill of Rights (RBR) now. Together Michelle and Shana discuss how transformative the RBR could be to rural communities like hers to access public transportation, clean air, water, and a healthy environment, reinvesting family-owned farms, and more!

We all need to vote in this very important election on November 3rd! Here in Pennsylvania, you have until October 19th to register to vote, October 27th is the last day to request your mail-in ballot and must be postmarked before November 3rd to count. Don’t forget if you decide to vote in person, Election Day is November 3rd. Polls in Pennsylvania are open from 7 am-8 pm. If you would like to register to vote or request your mail-in ballot, please go to votespa.com.