Here’s the press release:

Palm Beach County, FL- After being found guilty of
misdemeanor trespassing, blocking traffic in an act of civil disobedience
during the February 2008 protest against Florida Power Light’s West County
Energy Center, Lynne Purvis and Panagioti Tsolkas are sentenced to 30 and 60
days in jail.

During their court case, Purvis and Tsolkas argued that the
environmental damages caused by FPL’s power plant necessitated non- violent
civil disobedience. Scientist

Dr. John van Leer and Dr. Sydney Bachus testified in defense
of Purvis and Tsolkas, stating that the completion of the FPL West County
Energy Center could lead to higher levels of Mercury in the Loxahatchee
Preserve area and aquifer contamination; in addition to the acceleration of
global warming. The State Attorney’s Office contested the environmentalists’
claims, arguing that proposed power plant impact on global warming was not an
imminent threat.

Once open, the Florida Power and Light West County Energy
Center will be the largest fossil fuel burning power plan in the United States,
emitting twelve million tons of potentially toxic carbon emissions and dispensing
13.5 million gallons of
contaminated water into Florida’s aquifer every year.

In addition to jail, Judge Johnson sentence restrains Purvis
and Tsolkas from coming within 500 feet of FPL property. Both remain committed to
protecting Palm Beach
County’s natural resources.

Co-defendant Russell McSpadden responded to the Judge’s
sentence stating, “The FPL West County Energy Center
poses an imminent and severe threat to our quality of life in Palm Beach
County. We are dissapointed with the
Judge’s decision to jail environmental activists who took action to stop
FPL from contaminating the air and water of Palm Beach County. We believe during this
time of global climate change that average citizens must step up and take
action to address the impacts large corporations are having on our environment.
”