‘Unprecedented’ meeting of Burrillville Town and Woonsocket City Councils about water sale to Invenergy

Burrillville’s Donald Fox meets Woonsocket’s Denise Sierra

Burrillville Town Councilor Donald Fox called the meeting “unprecedented,” and it was.

The Woonsocket City Council, led by Daniel Gendron, held a special, packed meeting with the Burrillville Town Council, led by John Pacheco III, in Woonsocket City Hall‘s historic Harris Hall, to discuss Woonsocket’s possible sale of water to Invenergy to cool a proposed $700 million fracked gas and diesel oil burning power plant in Burrillville. To transport the water Invenergy has proposed an 11-mile pipeline from Woonsocket to Burrillville.

Woonsocket Mayor Lisa Badelli-Hunt attended the meeting but was quiet throughout. Also in attendance were several representatives and leaders from local labor, including Michael Sabitoni, president of the Rhode Island Building & Construction Trades Council. The meeting was not open to public comment, though Harris Hall was packed with residents from Burrillville, Woonsocket and individuals from throughout Rhode Island.

Burrillville Attorney William Dimitri with Woonsocket Mayor Lisa Baldelli-Hunt

There’s no established protocol for a meeting like this. Both sides were winging it. Relations between the town councils was cordial and friendly throughout. Woonsocket City Council President Gendron said at the outset that several attempts were made to arrange the room so that the two councils would be on a “level base” but due to the constraints imposed by the microphone system, the Woonsocket councilors were on a raised dais looking down on the representatives from Burrillville. Gendron assured all present that no disrespect was intended.

Burrillville Town Council President Pacheco thanked the Woonsocket councillors and said “it didn’t matter where we sat, it’s fine.” Pacheco and the other Burrillville councillors came with a sense of humility, realizing that they were asking their neighbors for a favor.Woonsocket will be turning down a small, but not insignificant amount of money if they refuse Invenergy’s offer.

“We’re here to help you help us,” said Pacheco.

Paul Roselli, Burrillville Land Trust

The courtesies and politeness extended from both councils did not mean that the questions from the Woonsocket city councilors were soft-balled or even easy. Woonsocket is a distressed city, with high rates of poverty. The city is constantly looking for ways to bolster its economy and always on the lookout for new revenue streams. By contrast, Burrillville seems to be on more solid financial ground and seems to have plenty of money. Woonsocket councilors were interested in how much tax revenue Burrillville gets from Ocean State Power, a 28 year old power plant located in the town, as well as the tax revenues it generates from pipelines, compressor stations and power lines situated in the town. Burrillville Town Manager Michael Wood called the tax revenue from these properties “significant.”

Woonsocket City Councilor Melissa Murray

Each of the Burrillville town councilors present (Councilor Michelle Bouchard did not attend) spoke about their reasons to oppose the plant. For some, it was their first opportunity to publicly explain their opposition. Town Council President Pacheco said that at first he was most interested in the tax money and the prospect that the poisoned well in Pascoag might be cleaned up when Invenergy used the water to cool their power plant, but he later learned that such an effort may prove disastrous to the town. About 4-months into the process, said Pacheco, he read a 28-year old RI Department of Environmental Management report that called the proposed location of Invenergy’s proposed power plant the “absolute worst possible place to ever site a power plant” due to the area’s environmental importance.

Burrillville attorney Michael McElroy spent nine minutes explaining why there is no inconsistency between entering into tax agreements with Invenergy and dead set opposition to the plant. McElroy explained that the tax agreement provided Burrillville with the money it needs to fight the plant all the way up to the Supreme Court, if need be.

In the end it was difficult to get a bead on just where the Woonsocket City Councilors sat in regards to the Invenergy proposition. Attendees from Burrillville were scrutinizing the words and body language looking for clues, but if any councilors have already decided, there was no way to know.  There is a Woonsocket City Council meeting scheduled for Friday, December 30, that will be closed to the public. A public comment hearing is tentatively scheduled for January 6, and a final decision on the proposal will need to be made before Invenergy returns to the Energy Facility Siting Board on January 11, so we should expect big changes in the next two weeks.

Below is the video of the one of a kind meeting between Burrillville and Woonsocket.

Burrillville’s David Place meets Woonsocket’s James Cournoyer

Burrillville Town Councilor Jeremy Bailey

Burrillville’s Stephen Rawson meets Woonsocket’s Daniel Gendron

Woonsocket City Councilor Christopher Beauchamp

Woonsocket City Council Vice President Jon Brien

Burrillville Town Council Vice President Stephen Rawson