The Audubon Society of Rhode Island and the Nature Conservancy in Rhode Island have released statements in opposition to Invenergy‘s $700 million fracked gas and diesel oil burning power plant proposed for Burrillville.
Saying that its “mission is to protect birds, other wildlife and their habitat through conservation, education and advocacy for the benefit of people and all living things, the Audubon Society of Rhode Island has come out in opposition to “the proposed 900MW power plant in Burrillville, Rhode Island because it will disturb the integrity of western Rhode Island’s forested habitats and wildlife corridors and because the plant undermines Rhode Island’s ability to achieve greenhouse gas reduction goals set in the 2014 Resilient Rhode Island Act.”
“Rhode Island’s Executive Climate Change Coordinating Council (EC4) is charged with developing a plan for achieving the Resilient Rhode Island Act’s greenhouse gas reduction goals,” says the press release, “Audubon requests that the plan examine opportunities for meeting energy demand through efficiency and expanded renewable energy. This analysis should be completed before the state builds the new Invenrgy facility.”
Meanwhile, the Nature Conservancy in Rhode Island has also issued a statement in opposition to the power plant, saying, “Invenergy’s proposed 900MW power plant for Burrillville will make it more difficult for Rhode Island to achieve its newly enacted greenhouse gas reduction targets; it has not been proven necessary to meet energy needs; and it will pose unacceptable environmental risks to habitats and plant and animal species.”
“The Nature Conservancy in Rhode Island supports a comprehensive approach to energy development that considers energy conservation, renewable energy, and other alternatives to fossil fuels,” says their press release, “The Conservancy urges the state to undertake an independent assessment of its projected energy needs, within the context of the larger region’s energy needs, and to develop a strategy to meet those projections before committing to a new large-scale power plant.”
