YDRI is proud to announce our endorsement of Susan Donovan in the democratic primary for House District 69, Bristol/Portsmouth. While it is rare for YDRI to make an endorsement this early, we felt in Susan’s case it was warranted. In our conversations with Susan, it became immediately clear that she was both an exceptional candidate and would make an equally exceptional representative.
At YDRI we hold ourselves accountable to three goals. One getting young Rhode Islanders involved in politics. Two getting young Rhode Islanders elected to office. Three pushing policies that help young people not only stay, but thrive in our state. It was in the final regard that Susan stood out. From her 33 years as an public school educator, Susan demonstrated a strong understanding of our public education system and both it’s strengths and weaknesses.
She made it clear that providing a quality education and working to make college affordable for all would be among her top priorities. We at YDRI believe a knowledgeable voice dedicated to education is desperately needed at the State House and we believe Susan will be a strong advocate not only for her district but for young Rhode Islanders everywhere.
YDRI wholeheartedly endorses Susan Donovan for the Democratic Primary in HD 69, Bristol/Portsmouth.
Representative Cale Keable‘s bill to change the make-up of the Energy Facilities Siting Board and give the voters of Burrillville the ability to vote on any tax treaties their town council may enter to with companies interested in building a power plant in their town passed out of committee today on an 11 to 2 vote. Only Representatives Ray Hull and Michael Marcello voted against the bill, heard in the 
The proposed power plant is dual fuel, so it can burn either gas or oil. Though gas is not a clean energy source, it is better than burning oil for the environment directly surrounding the plant. The circumstances under which oil will be burned, then, is of some importance. Niland said, “some people are saying we will be making an economic choice” as to which fuel to burn when. [In fact, I was the first to suggest this, 
The battle over Invenergy‘s planned fracked gas and diesel oil burning energy plant for Burrillville reaches a fever pitch at the State House this afternoon, starting at 3pm as hundreds of Burrillvile residents hold a rally in the main rotunda announcing their opposition. This is ahead of Burrillville Representative Cale Keable‘s hearing for his bill, 
The people of Burrillville realize something about the the Energy Facilities Siting Board (EFSB), that Margaret Curran, who chairs the board, does not. During Monday night’s public comment meeting, held to decide the fate of of Invenergy’s proposed fracked gas and diesel oil burning power plant, Curran several times tried to stop the crowd from rising and cheering and clapping when someone from the public made a particularly smart or heartfelt point during their five minutes before the board. Other times Curran would attempt to cut speakers off, even as the crowd became agitated and yelled, “Let them speak!”
“You’re taking time from other people by going over your time limit,” Curran would say, but Curran didn’t seem to realize that the community of Burrillville is united. Everyone who rose in opposition to the power plant speaks not just for themselves, but for everyone.
Don Allen said if you could pick the worst place to place a power plant based on prevailing winds, Burrillville would be the worst.
The bill Representative Cale Keable introduced to the RI House that seeks to overhaul Rhode Island General Law 44-4-30 by giving the residents of Burrillville more power over whether or not Invenergy‘s proposed fracked gas and diesel oil burning power plant gets built in their town has been reviewed by Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) Senior Attorney Jerry Elmer, and his verdict is clear: “Despite its imperfections,” says Elmer, “the Keable Bill is an excellent bill that ought to be supported by enviros, because – for the two separate reasons outlined above — it makes it much less likely that the Invenergy plant will be built.”
Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) announced at a press conference today that it has served formal notice of a lawsuit against ExxonMobil for its decades-long campaign to discredit climate change and knowingly endanger people and communities. An exposé last September by 
Roseann Bongiovanni, Chelsea Green Space environmental justice advocate, commented, “I’ve lived in Chelsea my entire life, and for all that time there’s been imbalance between community members who desperately want waterfront access and the industries that dominate the water’s edge. A decade ago, ExxonMobil spilled thousands of gallons of oil into our river and denied its wrongdoing for months until confronted and forced to pay by the Department of Justice. Today, we have a greater understanding of the full extent of ExxonMobil’s climate denial and we have another opportunity to show the world that we won’t stand for it.”
EnergizeRI and our carbon pricing proposal have recently come under attack from the Heartland Institute. We are taking this opportunity to reach out, set the record straight and shed some light on the work and reputation of this group as you consider their comments on carbon pricing legislation here in Rhode Island.
This is the same group that included scientists on a list of “climate deniers” 
There are legitimate debates to be had about the best way to address climate change, but pretending it isn’t happening or that we are powerless to stop it helps no one. We are already seeing the effects of climate change here in our state. No Rhode Islander will deny the damage that was caused by Hurricane Sandy in Westerly and Charlestown. No one can deny the damage caused by the microbursts in Cranston or the severe flooding witnessed in Warwick. All over the state Rhode Islanders are dealing with the fallout and leading climate scientists believe it will only get worse. Climate change denial is no longer part of the national conversation and it should not be part of the policy debate here in Rhode Island.
