Whitehouse not the climate champion Burrillville needs


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Senator Sheldon Whitehouse

United States Senator Sheldon Whitehouse has a national, and even international, reputation as a climate champion, noted Rhode Island Senate President M Teresa Paiva-Weed as she introduced him to to the nearly 150 people gathered in Newport for a community dinner and Q&A. Paiva-Weed talked up Whitehouse’s concern for his constituents, saying, “Someone like Sheldon makes it a point to be home and to have a focus on the issues at home.”

But to the residents of Burrillville who drove for over an hour through rush hour traffic to attend the dinner, Whitehouse hardly seems focused on “the issues at home” and in fact, his own words belie that. His international reputation as an environmental champion is of small comfort to the townspeople fighting Invenergy’s $700 million fracked gas and diesel oil burning power plant.

Whitehouse touted his environmental concerns in his opening remarks, saying, “The good news is that… the [climate] denial operation really is collapsing. You can feel it visibly. We’re at the stage where the CEO of Exxon has had to admit, ‘Okay, climate change is real, and we’re doing it and we want to get something done.’”

Climate change, says Whitehouse, “is going to hit home for Rhode Island in a really big way and I want to make sure that I’ve done everything that I possibly can to make sure that we are as prepared for it as we can be in the Ocean State.”

Richard Dionne, vice president of the Burrillville Conservation Commission was called on by Whitehouse to ask the first question.

“When discussing the most influential senators from Rhode Island on environmental quality issues, your name is often brought up in the same sentence as our former Senator John H Chafee,” said Dione, “Not bad company to be in if I do say so myself.”

“Really good company,” agreed Whitehouse.

Dione continued, “However, our Senator Chafee would be rolling over in his grave if he knew that a 900 megawatt fracked gas power plant being proposed by Governor Raimondo was to be sited smack dab in the middle of the John H Chafee Heritage Corridor in the northwest corner of Rhode Island, on the shared border with neighboring states Connecticut and Massachusetts.

“This area has been recently designated as part of the National Park Service. The approximately 13,000 acres of protected forests, recreational areas, wetlands and conservation areas is absolutely the most inappropriate area for this type of project.

“Every environmental organization in the state of Rhode Island has come out against the project,” continued Dione, “including the Environmental Council of Rhode Island, the Audubon Society, the Nature Conservancy, Blackstone Heritage Corridor, the list goes on and on, I have a list right here…”

“I know the list,” said Whitehouse.

“At many of the public hearings I attend, invariably the question gets posed to me, ‘Where is our environmental Senator on this issue and what is he doing for his constituents in Burrillville?’ A town which, by the way, has supported your election in 2006 and 2012.

“So my question is Senator Whitehouse,” said Dione, winding up, “What answer can I bring back to the people of Burrillville, and can you commit this evening to opposing this power plant?”

“The short answer is,” said Whitehouse after a short pause, “There is a process…”

“Here we go,” said a woman at my table with open disdain.

If there was a wrong answer to give, this was it. Everyone who attended Governor Gina Raimondo’s appearance at the Burrillville High School has heard this answer before. No one takes “trust the process” seriously. It’s political dodge ball.

Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) attorney Jerry Elmer has spoken eloquently about the process. “Remember that the reason – the raison d’etre – that the General Assembly created the EFSB (Energy Facility Siting Board) was precisely to take these energy siting decisions away from the Town Councils and town planning boards,” wrote Elmer.

RI Senator Victoria Lederberg, who got the EFSB legislation through the General Assembly 30 years ago, called the siting board concept “one-stop shopping” for power plant developers. Climate change, environmental concerns and the health and safety of residents didn’t seem to be high on the General Assembly’s priorities when the EFSB was formed.

The process renders the opinion of ordinary townsfolk essentially meaningless, said Burrillville Planning Board attorney Michael McElroy. “The EFSB can take [our opinion], they can take it in part, or they can reject it.”

“There is a process,” said Whitehouse, “taking place for [the power plant] through the state Energy Facility Siting Board. They take sworn testimony, as I think you know. There are a whole bunch of local environmental groups that are intervened into that proceeding. The Conservation Law Foundation has come down from Boston to intervene in that proceeding. They have witnesses.”

Senator Whitehouse is incorrect here. The only environmental group certified as an intervenor in the EFSB proceedings is the CLF. The Burrillville Land Trust, Fighting Against Natural Gas (FANG), Burrillville Against Spectra Expansion (BASE) and Fossil Free Rhode Island were denied intervenor status, as it was felt that their interests would be seen to by the CLF.

“It’s essentially an administrative trial that is taking place,” continued Whitehouse, “I have confidence in that process. I have confidence in Janet Coit at DEM (Department of Environmental Management) who by virtue of being the DEM director is on the Energy Facility Siting Board. I have confidence in Meg Curran, chairman of the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) who by virtue of being chairman chairs that Siting Board, and there’s going to be somebody from the Department of Administration…”

Associate Director of the Division of Planning, Parag Agrawal, is the third member of the EFSB.

“It’s a process I’ve worked with from my earliest days,” said Whitehouse, “when I first came as a young lawyer to Rhode Island I worked in the Attorney General’s office and I practiced representing the people before the Public Utilities Commission.

“So I have confidence in the process.

“Congratulations,” added Whithouse, “The opposition to Invenergy, I think, has won every round. Burrillville said ’No’ on planning, Burrillville said ‘No’ on zoning, the water board said ‘No’ on water, so I think you’re, yeah, it’s a process and I know it would be easier to just yell about it but it’s a process that I think is honorable and will come to the right result.

“So I want to focus my efforts on where it will make the biggest difference. I know we’ve had some conversation, repeatedly, but I still am of the view that, with the force and strength that I have available to me, I want to apply every bit of that force and strength to the battle in Washington, which if we win it, will be immensely significant, not just to Burrillville but to all of Rhode Island and to the country and the world.

“So, sorry that I don’t have more to give than that, but I do think that I give pretty well at the office with what I do on this issue. Thank you for bringing it up though, I appreciate it.”

Burrillville resident Lynn Clark was called on to ask the next question. This seemed like a coincidence, but in fact, half the questions asked concerned the power plant in Burrillville, in one way or another.

Clark rose and with only the slightest hint of nervousness in her voice, said, “My name is Lynn and I come from the northwest corner of the state of Rhode Island. It has been my home all my life. I applaud you and I love the work you’re doing on the environmental front.

“In Burrillville, our little town has come together and we have come out strong against this giant plan. We have a lot of environmental groups [on our side], 23 currently, and we are working hard.

“I wish I could say that I am as confident in this process as you are, sir. It has been a scary process. We have been consumed by this process. I have been at every meeting, for hours, two or three meetings per week. Sir, this is a scary, scary process.

“We need a champion in Burrillville and we are asking you to please come see us. Please, come talk to us. If this Invenergy [power plant] gets built, the detriments to our little state will be just horrifying.”

Clark’s appeal to Whitehouse was raw and emotional. It’s the kind of speech people give in movies to roust tired champions into battle one final time.

But this wasn’t a movie and Whitehouse wasn’t willing to be the hero.

“I hear you,” said Whitehouse, once again echoing words Governor Raimondo used in Burrillville when she visited, “I can’t add much to what I’ve said to Richard. Thank you for taking the trouble to come down and share your passion.

Eagle Scout James Lawless with Whitehouse
Eagle Scout James Lawless with Whitehouse

“It is the National Heritage Corridor,” said Clark, not giving up, “We also have a boy scout camp up there, camp grounds… Have you been up to Burrillville?”

“Oh yeah,” said Whitehouse.

“Okay,” said Clark, “I hope you come visit us soon, sir. Thank you.”

Other questions came and went. Whitehouse was asked about the Supreme Court vacancy, grid security and the opioid epidemic. When Newport resident Claudia Gorman asked Whitehouse  about the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), he admitted that on the federal level, at least, he isn’t as certain about the integrity of the process.

“There have been several problems, at the federal level, with the approvals,” said Whitehouse, “They haven’t baked into their decision making what is called the social cost of carbon.” Whitehouse added that we don’t take seriously the problem of methane gas leaks, and that he held the first hearings on the issue of gas leaks and that we still don’t know the full extent of that particular problem…

The last question of the evening came from Cranston resident Rhoda Northrup. She rose as Whitehouse tried to bring the discussion to an end, and would not allow the dinner to end without asking her question.

“I do not live in Burrillville I live in Cranston,” said Northrup, “and what’s going on in Burrillville should not be completely on their backs. This is a global issue for all of us and if that power plant comes to our state of Rhode Island, it will set us back forty years. We will be committed for another forty years to a fossil fuel.

“That’s wrong.

“We need to move forward with wind and solar. And with all of that said, I would like to ask the senator if he has an opinion. With everything that’s been said tonight, ‘Do you have an opinion?’

“I know it’s a process,” said Northrup, “but that’s not an answer. Everybody’s telling us it’s a process. We know that. We’re walking the process. But we’re asking our leaders if they have an opinion. You must have an opinion.”

There was a short pause before Whitehouse answered.

“My opinion is that we must get off fossil fuels,” said Whitehouse.

“Thank you for that,” said Northrup.

But Whitehouse was’t finished. Lest anyone believe that by that statement Whitehouse was taking a stance against the power plant in Burrillville and matching action to his words, Whitehouse switched to his familiar political talking points.

“My opinion is that the best way to do that,” continued Whitehouse, “is to balance the pricing of fossil fuels, so that they are treated fairly in the marketplace. Right now they have a huge, unfair advantage because they don’t have to pay for the cost of the harm that they cause…”

Jill Stein to stand with activists opposing LNG in PVD


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Dr. Jill Stein
Dr. Jill Stein

Jill Stein, the Green Party candidate for president, isn’t coming to Rhode Island on July 20 to hob-nob with the political elite. She’s coming to stand with grassroots activists who are trying to implement bottom-up change in the Ocean State.

“Dr. Stein will join NoLNGinPVD activists for a toxic tour of the Port of Providence and demonstration against National Grid’s proposed Fields Point LNG liquefaction facility,” according to a news release from the Green Party of Rhode Island.

The event will take place at 4pm, Wednesday July 20 on the corner of Allens Ave. and Ernest St. outside of Providence Public Works Department.

The RI Green Party, along with the Environmental Justice League of Rhode Island, the FANG Collective and others, have been fighting against a proposed liquefied natural gas facility near Fields Point on the Providence waterfront.

“The event will consist of a tour of existing toxic and polluting infrastructure in South Providence with regards to the effect and dangers of National Grid’s planned expansion at Fields Point followed by a demonstration and public address by affiliated groups and Dr. Stein,” according to the news release. “The Green Party of Rhode Island has been actively resisting the growth of fossil fuel facilities of all kinds and is actively supporting NoLNGinPVD and other community groups in their struggle to stop the further development of fossil fuel facilities in Rhode Island including the Burrillville power plant, various pipelines, and the Compressor station along the Providence waterfront.

Members of the Green Party will also be collecting signatures to ensure Stein is on the ballot in Rhode Island, as well.

At 6pm on Wednesday, there is a clambake fundraiser for Stein in Providence, details here. Read a RI Future interview with Stein here.

Peace activists educate Providence about Textron’s cluster bombs


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There were only 5 anti-cluster bomb activists who attended Thursday’s weekly protest against Textron for making them. But those 5 activists handed out some 50 pieces of literature explaining the civilian death and destruction cluster bombs have caused in Yemen this year to people walking by Textron’s world headquarters in downtown Providence.

textron actionOne of the reasons there were fewer protesters today is several members of the FANG Collective, the original organizers of the weekly Textron protests, were in court for civil disobedience against Invenergy, the corporation proposing a new fossil fuel power plant in Burrillville.

FANG organizer Pia Ward instead canvassed 15 nearby businesses the day before.

“I went to cafes, restaurants, a jewelry store – all different kinds of businesses,” Ward said. “Nobody was supportive of cluster bombs.”

One person Ward spoke with took many fliers and said he would help distribute them. Another said Textron was too big and too powerful to stop. “I promised him I would stop them,” Ward said.

Rhode Island-based Textron has come under scrutiny for making cluster bombs the US sells to Saudi Arabia. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have documented civilian casualties in Yemen from cluster bombs, which are banned by 119 nations but not by the United States and Saudi Arabia. Textron is the only North American manufacturer of cluster bombs.

Human Rights Watch and Foreign Policy magazine have each reported that the United States is slated to halt sales of cluster bombs to Saudi Arabia.

“The decision not to transfer any more cluster munitions to Saudi Arabia is a step in the right direction, but the US should halt all cluster munition transfers to any country and make that suspension permanent,” said Steve Goose, arms director at Human Rights Watch and chair of the Cluster Munition Coalition. “This would help bring the US into line with core obligations of the international treaty banning cluster munitions.”

A Textron spokesman said the company would not comment on the new US policy before it gets official confirmation from the government. Secretary of State John Kerry acknowledged the policy change on MSNBC on Wednesday.

Read RI Future’s full coverage of Textron’s cluster bombs here:

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Whitehouse addresses power plant protesters


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2016-04-22 URI Climate 007Senator Sheldon Whitehouse wrapped up his keynote address at a University of Rhode Island Climate conference addressing members of Fossil Free RI who stood in the room silently holding signs asking him to weigh in against the proposed power plant in Burrillville. Among those holding signs were Lisa Petrie, who was recently arrested in Governor Gina Raimondo’s office after refusing to leave the building until the Governor agrees to meet with residents of Burrillville about the plant, and Professor Peter Nightingale, who was arrested in Senator Whitehouse’s office protesting fracked gas in 2014.

Whitehouse mistakenly refered to the sign holders as members of FANG, but of course FANG was in Boston during Whitehouse’s keynote, as can be seen here. Whitehouse seemed to say that while he appreciates the efforts of those holding signs, his priorities are on things other than preventing the expansion of natural gas infrastructure in Rhode Island.

I think the biggest message here, though perhaps not the one Whitehouse intended to deliver, is that the residents of Burrillville can count on getting no help from their Senator on this issue.

They are on their own.

More on the climate conference will be released over the weekend.

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Here are Senator Whitehouse’s full comments:

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Power plant protesters take over State House state room


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2016-04-19 Power Plant State House 014Burrillville residents and local activists began a sit-in at Governor Gina Raimondo’s State House office, urging the Governor to drop her support of the fossil fuel power plant proposed for Burrillville.

Members of The FANG Collective (Fighting Against Natural Gas) and BASE (Burrillville Against Spectra Expansion) are sitting-in at the office with a large circular banner that shows the local impacts of the proposed power plant, and the global impacts of climate change, which the power plant would significantly contribute to.

“Governor Raimondo should not be supporting a power plant opposed by her constituents that would cause problems ranging from increased truck traffic and cancerous MTBE water locally to increased violence against women and more climate refugees globally,” said Burrillville resident and BASE founder Kathy Martley.2016-04-19 Power Plant State House 007

Governor Raimondo has been a staunch supporter of the proposed power plant. The plant would burn diesel fuel and fracked-gas and use water contaminated with MTBE (a now banned gasoline additive) to cool its turbines. BASE and FANG are urging the Governor to revoke her support of the project.

“We are asking the Governor to listen to her constituents and to be on the right side of history by helping us stop this toxic project,” said Lorraine Savard of Central Falls

Today’s sit-in comes on the heels of an action yesterday during which BASE and FANG dropped banners from the fourth floor of the Department of Administration and sat-in at the Office of Energy Resources (OER). That action immediately led to an in-person meeting with Marion Gold, the Commissioner of the OER who was been a supporter of the Invenergy project.

“We will keep organizing and taking nonviolent direct action until the people of Burrillville are listened to and Invenergy’s power plant proposal is scrapped,” said Nick Katkevich of The FANG Collective.

[From a press release, more to come]

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Banners dropped at RI Office of Energy Resources opposing power plant


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2016-04-18 Marion Gold 004Two large banners were dropped from the fourth floor of the Rhode Island Department of Administration Building outside the offices of the Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources (OER), to protest Commissioner Marion Gold’s support of the fracked-gas and diesel fuel power plant planned for Burrillville by Invenergy.

One banner read, “All That Glitters is Not Gold” and another “No New Power Plant”.  The group began a sit-in at OER office, demanding that Dr. Gold revoke her support of the power plant project and pledge to meet with Burrillville residents.

“For five months we have been trying to schedule a meeting with Dr. Gold to no avail. Enough is enough.“ said Kathy Martley a Burrillville resident who participated in the sit-in and one of the founders of BASE (Burrillville Against Spectra Expansion).  “We need our State’s energy leaders to stop supporting fossil fuel projects”.

After being ordered by the Capitol Police to roll up and remove the banners, Dr. Gold emerged from her offices, initially saying that she did not have time to meet with the small group because the Federal Energy Secretary Moniz, in town to deliver a lecture at Brown University.

Dr. Marion Gold
Dr. Marion Gold

Gold then reconsidered and offered the group ten minutes, which turned into 15. Kathy Martley and others explained their objections to the plant. Nick Katkevich, of FANG, (Fighting Against Natural Gas) asked Gold to reconsider her support for the plant. Gold indicated that she is waiting “for the process to play out” before making a decision about the plant, but Katkevich countered that in the past she has supported the plant.

Gold also wouldn’t say she supported the plant, adopting a curiously neutral position, given her past support.

“The power plant is bad for Burrillville, bad for Rhode Island and will impact the most vulnerable communities around the world by contributing to global climate change. We are asking Dr. Gold to do the right thing and revoke her support of this project,” said Sally Mendzela of North Providence in  a statement.

In a statement the group added, “According to the region’s utility regulators, this power plant is not necessary to meet demand. Rhode Islanders should be weary of Invenergy’s false claims. They are not concerned about what’s best for Rhode Island, only what’s best for their own profits.”

You can watch the meeting with Marion Gold in the video below.

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FANG to offer nonviolent direct action training in Providence


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FANG (Fighting Against Natural Gas) will be holding Nonviolent Direct Action Trainings in Providence next week at the First Unitarian Church of Providence. The organizers write:

2015-12-05 FANG Arrests Spectra 005This Spring, FANG will continue to nonviolently escalate our efforts to stop Invenergy‘s fracked-gas power plant that’s proposed for Burrillville, stop Spectra‘s continued pipeline expansion schemes and confront other forms of injustice.

“In December 100 people marched in Burrillville and eight people were arrested as part of a nonviolent direct action. Now it’s time to go bigger and stop these fracked-gas projects once and for all. Plug into the resistance and into future actions by attending one this nonviolent direct action workshop!

“We’ll cover the history of nonviolent direct action, different types of action tactics, how to carry out an action and much more. These trainings are meant to immediately help people plug into actions that will happen this Spring.”

Four trainings are planned in all, two in Providence and two in Worcester:

  • Tuesday, April 5th from 6-9pm at the First Unitarian Church of Providence (1 Benevolent St)
  • Thursday, April 7th from 6-9pm at the First Unitarian Church of Providence (1 Benevolent St)
  • Monday, April 11th from 6-9pm at Stone Soup in Worcester (4 King Street)
  • Thursday, April 14th from 6-9pm at Stone Soup in Worcester (4 King Street)

You can register for the trainings here.

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NORAD celebration private—for pooh-bahs only


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Governor Gina Raimondo’s office issued a press release with this title: “State, Congressional Leaders Hail 6th Consecutive Record Breaking Year for Auto Imports at Quonset’s Port of Davisville.” This was the reason for today’s celebration at North Atlantic Distribution, Inc. (NORAD) attended at Quonset by the governor and our congressional delegation.

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As part of the “FANG needs YOU: To protest Governor Raimondo to confront Governor Raimondo” campaign, I went to the NORAD event to confront our governor about her support for fossil fuels.

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When the governor passed, I asked her about the cost of the proposed gigawatt, fossil-fuel fired plant in Burrillville, aka the Clear River en Energy Center.  Holding up my sign, I said: “Nice jobs program, Governor, $2.3 million per job.  How do you justify that?”  Even from within six feet, she did nor see nor hear a thing!

We seem to have a trend here, as observed by Lorraine Savard, who staged a respectful bird-dogging presence at the Cherry Blossom event at the State House earlier the same day. Referring to Governor Raimondo, Lorraine observed: “She is either ignoring me or she is afraid to look me in the eye.”

You’d expect that Governor Raimondo has friends who would be quite able to invest the $2.3 million for a comfortable early retirement of  the 300 workers who might benefit from the construction without creating a sacrifice zone.  But I’m loosing my thread.

I had the pleasure to exchange a couple of words with our senators and representatives. When I asked Congressman Cicilline if he was planning to join us in opposing the power plant, he replied that Burrillville was not his district. True enough, but not all that gutsy.  Fortunately, he agreed with me when I replied that it was not my district either, but my world.

The NORAD celebration made twitter buzz; @QuonsetRI:

@jimlangevin: I never get tired of coming down to @QuonsetRI for these great announcements

One of Representative Langevin’s staff told me, when I asked his boss about Burrillville: “This is a different event, Peter.”  I have to sleep on that one.

Unfortunately, Mike Miranda, private owner of NORAD, did get tired with me and my off-topic message.  He asked me to leave the event, which he referred to as private.  The press was there and my impression was that the public was invited, but I left.  Do you blame me when I wonder how much state and federal money is spent on shuttling our leadership to and from these “private” events?

Mike Miranda of NORAD
Mike Miranda of NORAD

One final tweet from @QuonsetRI:

Mike Miranda, CEO & Pres. of NORAD: We’re likely only port in country w/ 7 diffrnt manufacturers snding cars here

Undoubtedly, what you see in the picture are all electric cars that soon will run on electric power generated by Invenergy’s fracked-gas power plant in Burrillville.   We call those “zero-emission” emission vehicles  and that’s how we implement the Paris Accord and the #CleanPowerPlan.  Unfortunately, not only here in Rhode Island.
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Supporting Burrillville gas plant becoming politically untenable


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20160301_134831Politicians like Governor Gina Raimondo and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, who want to position themselves as environmentalist elected officials, are finding that supporting plans to expand fossil fuel infrastructure is a losing proposition.

Raimondo, who came out early and strong for Invenergy’s Clear River Energy Complex, a $700 million dollar gas and oil burning plant in Burrillville, has been under continued pressure from environmentalists to end her support. When the Governor attends a public event, there’s about even odds that at least one protester will be there holding a sign asking her to change her position.

Yesterday Raimondo was greeted by three power plant protesters at the Hope Artiste Village in Pawtucket while on her way to a press conference. In the video, the Governor invites Nick Katkevich of FANG (Fighting Against Natural Gas) to walk with her as he asks her if her position on the plant is changing. (It isn’t.)

Even when Governor Raimondo goes out of state, she is confronted by environmental activists fighting against fracked gas. During her recent trip to Washington DC Raimondo engaged in a public discussion on climate change with Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf. Pennsylvania is a state heavily invested in fracking. According to Nicholas Ballasy of PJ Media, “The moderator of the discussion… took just two questions from the audience before abruptly ending the event after the protesters interrupted. The protesters held up signs that said ‘Gov. Tom Wolf: Ban Fracking Now’ with the Food and Water Watch Fund’s logo on them.”

Though Raimondo was not the target of this protest, she must know that the plant in Burrillville will depend on the fracked gas coming out of places like Pennsylvania, and that the environmental devastation fracking wreaks there will be partly her fault if she continues to support Clear River.

In the video of the interruption below, you can see Raimondo seated behind a sign that says, “Climate and Clean Energy.”

When Invenergy proposed the new power plant, Raimondo must have seen it as a good idea. Energy prices in Rhode Island were high, construction jobs scarce, and the verdict on gas was still somewhat up in the air. All that has changed recently.

The power plant is not needed, as shown by the recent ISO New England Forward Capacity Auction. As the Conservation Law Foundation demonstrated electrical rates in Rhode Island are dropping, and the proposed plant has nothing to do with this drop.

The construction jobs on offer in Burrillville, which were not that many or for that long, are not as needed since Raimondo signed the Rhode Works legislation to rebuild our bridges and roads. Many of these jobs would go to out of state contractors if the power plant is built, and would not have benefited Rhode Islanders any way.

The evidence against fracked gas as a “clean energy source” and a “bridge fuel” is amassing. Countless studies are now showing that methane gas leaks erase the benefits of fracked gas.  Worse, “natural gas plants don’t replace only high-carbon coal plants. They often replace very low carbon power sources like solar, wind, nuclear, and even energy efficiency. That means even a very low [methane] leakage rate wipes out the climate benefit of fracking.”

Finally, the fracked gas bubble is beginning to burst. As I pointed out in a previous piece, there isn’t as much frackable gas as was first assumed, and the price of gas will soon rise even as oil prices drop. With the proposed Burrillville plant designed to burn gas or oil, whichever is cheaper and more available, we may find ourselves with a brand new state of the art oil burning plant.

Raimondo wants to be seen as a leader on the climate. She serves as as vice chair of the on the Governors’ Wind and Solar Energy Coalition (GWSC). She’s one of 17 governors to sign the Governors Accord for New Energy and she was at the conference in DC, mentioned above. But it’s not enough to divest financially from fossil fuels: she has to divest herself politically as well.

Political support for fracked gas is eroding fast. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, who came out in support of the plant in an interview with Ted Nesi, walked back his support Friday morning in an interview with Bill Rappleye, saying it would be unethical for him to take a position.

That the Environment Council of Rhode Island, a coalition of 62 different groups that protect the environment in the Ocean State “strongly opposes the proposal” may have had something to do with Whitehouse’s shifting position, but why this message hasn’t penetrated the Governor’s office is a mystery.

Asked yesterday about her position on the proposed plant, Senate President Teresa M Paiva-Weed said that she hasn’t formulated an opinion because there’s no legislation on it before the General Assembly. Sure, that’s a political dodge, but Paiva-Weed’s not backing the plant either. Her Green Jobs RI report says nothing about expanding fossil fuel infrastructure.

There is a chance that our political leaders will succumb to the will of the fossil fuel companies and force this plant down our throats, like they did with 38 Studios or tried to do with the PawSox stadium. They will pretend to believe the lies of the fossil fuel industry and stick us with a power plant that we don’t need, that is ruinous to the local environment and will destroy the climate of the planet. If so, their legacy will be that of destroyers, not environmentalists.

Patreon

DEM Director Coit’s Invenergy visit calls ‘fire wall’ into question


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Clear River Energy Center

UPDATE: Todd Anthony Bianco, Coordinator of the RI Energy Facility Siting Board, said the following in an email:

“A site visit of the Invenergy property will not violate the Energy Facility Siting Board Rule regarding ex parte communication. All parties were given notice through counsel and have the opportunity to attend. The purpose of the visit is for a Board member to familiarize herself or himself with the area in order to ask informed questions through discovery and during the hearing.”

Janet Coit, director of the Department of Environmental Management (DEM), will be touring the site of Invenergy’s proposed gas and oil burning power plant today at 1pm. As one of the two members of the EFSB (Energy Facilities Siting Board) she is legally not allowed to receive “any information about the case at any time or in any manner outside the hearing process,” according to Jerry Elmer, Senior Attorney at the Conservation Law Foundation (CLF).

At issue is the Clear River Energy Center, a proposed 900-1000MW power plant to be located in Burrillville, RI. Last week, the ISO-New England Forward Capacity Auction demonstrated that there is no need for this plant to be built.  We also have evidence accumulating that building this plant will ensure that RI will not meet its commitments to a clean energy future.

Not having conversations with any of the various interests concerned with the proposed power plant is important to the process. During the EFSB hearing on January 12, Coit explained that she was “firewalling” herself from any information that may come up as the DEM does its part towards certifying the plant. At the time, some activists in the room openly doubted Coit’s remarks. At a protest of Governor Gina Raimondo’s support for the plant at Goddard Park, orchestrated by members of Fighting Against Natural Gas (FANG) and Burrillville Against Spectra Expansion (BASE), Coit told BASE founder and activist Kathy Martley that she could not speak to her about the plant because of the firewall.

The CLF, according to Elmer, “does not want in any way to interfere with the usefulness of the visit,” but they were sure to remind the EFSB board of the RI Supreme Court’s holding in Arnold v. Lebel, 941 A.2d 813 (2007). This ruling “prohibits anyone from giving EFSB members any information about the case at any time or in any manner outside the hearing process,” says Elmer.

What is interesting about the site visit is that Tod Bianco, the EFSB “coordinator”, sent out the email invitations not to the entire list of parties working through the EFSB process, but only to the lawyers involved. To Elmer, “This means, almost by definition, that what is said in the woods in Burrillville to Janet [Coit] is outside the hearing process.”

Also, what exactly the law is on what can or cannot be said to Coit during this meeting is unclear. “Arguably,” says Elmer, “Janet asking, ‘Where is the route that the transmission interconnection will go,’ and the answer, ‘From that point over there to this point over here,’ is not allowed.”

An email to Coit, the Governor’s office and DEM staff has gone unanswered as of this writing, but we will be glad to update the story should any of these parties respond. A lawyer representing the CLF will also be on the site visit, to “observe what occurs and who says what to whom.”

If there are improper conversations between Invenergy officials and Director Coit, it will be a matter for the courts to decide, though as was said earlier, figuring out the law here could be tricky. In any event, saying the wrong thing outside an official hearing puts Invenergy in the position of having the entire case closed, meaning that the plant cannot be built.

Patreon

Two protests rock State House during Governor’s budget address


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Jesus Holguin, EJLRI

As Governor Gina Raimondo presented her budget to the General Assembly and the television viewers at home, she was being simultaneously protested by two groups. The first was a coalition of environmental groups opposed to her support for the expansion of fossil fuel infrastructure in Rhode Island, and the second was made up of undocumented workers and their allies, there to hold the Governor to her promise to make driver’s licenses available to all.

The evening started with members of FANG (Fighting Against Natural Gas), BASE (Burrillville Against Spectra Expansion), Fossil Free Rhode Island and the Environmental Justice League of RI (EJLRI) coming together to protest the Governor’s support for three fracked gas projects in Rhode Island: Invenergy‘s planned fracked gas power plant, the Clear River Energy Center, to be built in Burillville; Spectra Energy‘s planned expansion of pipelines and a compressor station in Burrillville; and National Grid’s planned liquefaction plant at Field’s Point in South Providence.

2016-02-02 State House 024About five minutes before Senate President Teresa Paiva-Weed, as per tradition, lead Governor Raimondo to the House Chambers, English for Action, a group dedicated to improving the lives of immigrants and undocumented workers, entered the State House to stage their own protest. Candidate Raimondo had promised this group that she would issue an executive order, within her first year in office, allowing undocumented workers to get driver’s licenses.

The Governor has broken this campaign promise.

The two groups lost no time in joining forces and ascended the stairs to the second floor chanting and marching. They were kept from approaching the entrance to the House Chambers by Capitol and State Police who formed a line in front of them. The protests were loud, but completely peaceful.

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Governor Raimondo

After the Governor entered the House Chambers to deliver her State of the State address, (successfully avoiding any contact with protesters) the two groups briefly separated before joining forces on opposite stairways in the main rotunda. Here they gave a series of short speeches explaining their positions and pledging to support each other’s efforts.

As EJLRI’s Jesus Holguin said to me afterwards, the two issues are actually more related than they might appear. The same forces that drive people from their home countries to seek work in the United States are working to keep the United States addicted to fossil fuels. During his address to the crowd, Nick Katkevich of FANG pointed out that English for Action is one of many groups that has signed onto FANG’s letter opposing the power plant.

The two groups pledged to support each other’s issues and future actions.

One thing that became abundantly clear is that the number of people who are willing to protest the Governor (and, as we saw yesterday, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse) is growing. Katkevich asked those present to join with FANG “everywhere the Governor goes” to call Raimondo out on her support for the power plant.

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Patreon

FANG confronts Whitehouse over his Invenergy support


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2016-02-01 FANG Whitehouse PVD City Hall 09As Senator Sheldon Whitehouse stood up to speak to a room packed with concerned environmentalists and sustainability stakeholders at the #ResilientPVD Sustainability Workshops, held in the Providence City Hall Monday afternoon, climate activists representing FANG (Fighting Against Natural Gas) and BASE (Burrillville Against Spectra Expansion) stood up and silently held aloft signs challenging the Senator on his stated support for Invenergy‘s Clear River Energy Center (CREC) in Burrillville.

The event was not interrupted and proceeded as planned. At one point Leah Bamberger, Providence’s Director of Sustainability, confronted Nick Katkevich of FANG, who was handing out flyers to people in the room. The flyers ask “Did you know?” and answered, “Sheldon Whitehouse supports the massive fossil fuel power plant proposed for Burrillville.” After their brief interaction Bamberger returned to her seat and Katkevich resumed handing out flyers.

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Among those standing with signs I recognized Sister Mary Pendergast of the Sisters of Mercy and Burrillville resident Kathy Martley.

Senator Whitehouse came out in support of the CREC power plant in an interview with Ted Nesi. In the interview Whitehouse cited support from environmental groups for his stance, support that subsequent investigation has revealed does not exist.

The #ResilentPVD event today is part of a three day series of “charrettes, workshops, and community meetings to explore how Providence’s infrastructure, buildings, and neighborhoods can prepare for the impacts climate change.” An impressive array of sustainability experts from across the country are in attendance. There is a report expected on Wednesday.

Mayor Jorge Elorza introduced Senator Whitehouse as the state’s foremost climate champion though some in the audience were audibly agitated by that designation, with someone commenting that “He supports the fossil fuel plant in Burrillville!” Whitehouse was not visibly disturbed by the protesters, though he seldom looked their way as he spoke.

FANG and BASE are planning to protest at the RI State House Tuesday evening during Governor Gina Raimondo‘s State of the State address Tuesday evening. Governor Raimondo has also been a vocal champion of the CREC plant, as has Speaker of the House Nicholas Mattiello.

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Bamberger and Katkevich

 

Patreon

 

FANG needs YOU: To protest Governor Raimondo


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2016-01-04 Raimondo FANG BASE 07FANG (Fighting Against Natural Gas) has announced that they and their allies will be protesting Governor Gina Raimondo during her State of the State address because of her continuing support for the methane gas power plant to be built in Burrillville. Raimondo will be speaking the the RI State House before both houses of the General Assembly.

On their Facebook posting for the event, FANG says,

“Right now there are three major fracked-gas projects proposed for Rhode Island. A $700 million fracked-gas power plant that’s been proposed for Burrillville, a $100 million liquified natural gas (LNG) facility in South Providence and a second expansion of Spectra Energy’s fracked-gas compressor station, also in Burrillville.

“The power plant in Burrillville would emit the equivalent greenhouse gas emissions of 763,562 cars a year and add more noise and toxins to a community that is already inundated by gas infrastructure. Meanwhile the LNG facility proposed for Providence would be built in a community that already has one of the highest asthma rates in the State.”

People interested in joining this protest can RSVP on Facebook. This is an open invitation to anyone interested in preventing the fracked gas, extraction economy future being foisted upon Rhode Island by fossil fuel companies and some of Rhode Island’s most influential politicians, including Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, Governor Gina Raimondo  and Speaker Nicholas Mattiello.

More on the fracked gas expansion in Rhode Island:

Patreon

Enviro group support for Burrillville power plant cited by Whitehouse does not exist


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Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse at Forward on Climate rally

2015-12-07 FANG BASE Raimondo Whitehouse 008Senator Whitehouse supports the new gas powered energy plant in Burrillville, but the support he cites for his position from environmental groups doesn’t exist.

In a short interview with Ted Nesi, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, widely considered to be the most environmentally conscious member of the US Senate, threw his support behind Invenergy’s Clear River Energy Center in Burrillville, a power plant to be run on fracked methane.

Whitehouse said, “Rhode Island and a large part of Southern New England are on the wrong side of a couple of gas pipeline choke points, with the result that at certain times costs soar in Rhode Island because the choke point creates a supply-demand imbalance which causes prices to soar, and in other states that’s not happening.

2015-12-07 FANG BASE Raimondo Whitehouse 015“I don’t think it’s valuable from Rhode Island’s perspective to make Rhode Islanders pay high winter gas prices when it doesn’t change the overall complexion of the gas market. So I am not objecting to that particular plant, because it’s a choke point issue.”

When Nesi asked Whitehouse if he’s received any blowback  for his refusal to oppose the plant, Whitehouse said,  “Some. There’s a small group of people who would like to have me change my position.

“From the larger environmental movement – the Save the Bays and the League of Conservation Voters and the Nature Conservancies and all that – there’s no blowback whatsoever. They understand the difference between the national and the local concern.”

Peter Nightingale, second from left, was arrested at Sheldon Whitehouse's office.
Peter Nightingale, second from left, was arrested at Sheldon Whitehouse’s office.

So do Save the Bay and the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) really support Whitehouse’s position on the new Burrillville power plant as the Senator implies?

Not quite.

I asked both Save the Bay and the League of Conservation Voters for comments on what Whitehouse said. Neither group came close to backing the Senator up.

Seth Stein, National Press Secretary for the League of Conservation Voters, said, “LCV does not have an RI state league partner. We focus on Federal policy, and do not generally weigh in on local politics in states where we do not have a state league.”

Students from Brown and URI with Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse at the People's Climate March
Students from Brown and URI with Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse at the People’s Climate March

Topher Hamblett, director of policy at Save the Bay, said, “Save The Bay has not taken a position on the project (we’re focused on a host of Bay issues). On development projects like this we usually evaluate potential impacts to water resources, wetland systems and Bay/coastal eco-sytsems.”

Save the Bay’s executive director Jonathan Stone wrote, “Save the Bay has not taken a position on the plant. On energy development proposals like this we always evaluate impacts on water quality, wetlands habitat, public access, and other impacts on the health of the Bay and coastal Rhode Island.”

Burrillville is not positioned near the Bay.

sheldonwhitehouseGiven that two of the three groups that Whitehouse named have no position on the project, and the third group, “the Nature Conservancies and all that” doesn’t specify any particular agency, it appears that Whitehouse’s answer was intended to minimize the importance of local opposition to the power plant, not honestly appraise the support for natural gas infrastructure expansion that exists in the wider environmental community.

One nature conservancy that does have a strong position on Invenergy’s plans is one that will be directly impacted by the plant. The Burrillville Land Trust, has been granted intervenor status in the process to determine the power plant’s fate and has filed a motion to shut the application process down.

So none of the environmental groups that Whitehouse implied would support him, do. Instead, we have wide ranging opposition to the plant from a host of groups that understand what is at stake in allowing Rhode Island to continue to depend on fossil fuels for its energy.

The Conservation Law Foundation, the Burrillville Land Trust, Burrillville Against Spectra Expansion  (BASE), Fighting Against Natural Gas (FANG), Fossil Free RI, Rhode Island Chapter of the Sierra Club, the Green Party of RI, Occupy Providence and the Rhode Island Progressive Democrats have all come out against the plant.

In his interview with Nesi, Whitehouse cavalierly dismissed the concerns of local environmental groups, and could name no environmental groups that support his position.

If Whitehouse is truly the Senate’s climate champion, we are all in serious trouble.

Patreon

Mattiello’s position on energy and environment ‘defies economic and common sense’


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Nicholas Mattiello
Nicholas Mattiello

Local environmental groups and activists have responded to comments made by RI House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello (D District 15 Cranston) made about his support for Invenergy‘s new planned methane gas and oil fueled power plant at the 2016 Rhode Island Small Business Economic Summit.

In the video, Mattiello says, “I’ve been an advocate working with the Office of Energy Resources. I think we have to expand our traditional energy sources and we’re doing so somewhat in Burrillville. I fully encourage that because we have to provide traditional energy as cheaply and efficiently as possible for our ratepayers. However, the world is changing and we have to look at renewables and we have to encourage the growth of renewables. Some people want just the carbon based some people want just the renewables. I think we have to take a practical viewpoint and I encourage both and we’ll grow them both just as fast as we can and let the economy and the marketplace play a little bit of a role. As far as I’m concerned we’re going to encourage the expansion of all forms of energy so that our citizens and our businesses have the cheapest energy available to them so that we can grow and thrive as a community and that our citizens can heat their homes and power their homes as efficiently and cheaply as possible.”

“An ‘all-of-the-above’ approach may provide a good soundbite for Speaker Mattiello,” said Conservation Law Foundation press secretary Josh Block, “but it is an illogical and irresponsible solution when it comes to our energy grid. Renewable energy is the only path to ensuring breathable air, drinkable water and stable energy prices for decades to come, and suggesting we continue building payphones when cell phones are getting cheaper and more prevalent each day defies basic economic and common sense.”

Professor Peter Nightingale of Fossil Free RI says that “Speaker Mattiello does not get it: going green will stimulate Rhode Island’s economy more than his supposedly cheap fossil fuel energy.  He calls himself practical, even as he ignores common sense economics and the laws of nature. Unfortunately, he fits in perfectly with the rest of our leadership as they sell present and future generations down “Clear River” for short-term gain.  Is dark and out-of-state money interfering with their sense of decency and grasp of reality?”

Greg Gerritt, head of research for ProsperityForRI.com speaking only for himself, berated the Speaker’s understanding of economics, saying, “The more I listen to Representative Mattiello the more it becomes obvious that he has absolutely no understanding of how the economy works and where it is going, has no understanding of the relationship between healthy ecosystems and the Rhode Island economy, and no conception that economies are built from the bottom up not the top down.”

Nick Katkevich of Fighting Against Natural Gas (FANG) sent a video, saying, “Way back on a hot summer day in June a group of us went to Mattiello’s law office in Cranston over a rumor that he was planning to attend a ribbon cutting ceremony for the Burrillville Spectra expansion. To our surprise he showed up while we were there at his office.”

More on the 2016 Rhode Island Small Business Economic Summit:

Business leaders decide issues elected officials will pursue at economic summit

State leaders demonstrate their priorities, and it’s not you

More on Speaker Mattiello and his economic ideas from the 2015 Rhode Island Small Business Economic Summit:

Mattiello’s ‘dynamic analysis’ is long discredited economics

Patreon

While touting health and natural resources, Raimondo challenged on her support for fossil fuel


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Raimondo signs her executive order

Governor Gina Raimondo today announced the formation of the Rhode Island Outdoor Recreation Council, touting the health benefits of outdoor recreation and the value of pristine open spaces, even as environmental activists challenged her on her continued support of the fossil fuel industry in Burrillville.

Members of Fighting Against Natural Gas (FANG), Burrillville Against Spectra Expansion (BASE) and Fossil Free RI all attended the press conference in the freezing cold Goddard Park Carousel in Warwick, silently holding signs that said, “Save Burrillville.” After Governor Raimondo signed the executive order creating her new council, one member started chanting “No new power plant!” and was escorted from the room.

2016-01-04 Raimondo FANG BASE 16In a press release, Governor Raimondo said, “All Rhode Islanders should have the chance to enjoy the countless outdoor recreational opportunities in our beautiful state, and take advantage of these resources as they fulfill New Year’s resolutions and lead healthier lifestyles. Rhode Island’s natural assets are unmatched, with amazing beaches, parks, campgrounds, bike paths, the bay and waterways. The State can do more to encourage use of these resources and promote this critical sector of Rhode Island’s economy.”

Raimondo’s staff has not responded to a request to explain how increasing Rhode Island’s dependence on fossil fuels will make for healthy environments in the state.

Raimondo did not engage with the protesters, but exited quickly after the event. One member of FANG waited in line on stage for a chance to speak with the governor but was turned away. Pia told me, “I was very angry I got kicked off the stage and couldn’t talk to my governor even though I was next in line to do so.”

Director Nicole Alexander-Scott, MD, MPH, of the Rhode Island Department of Health and Warwick Mayor Scott Avedisian did briefly engage. Among the protesters were Kathy Martley of Burrillville, who founded BASE, Sister Mary Pendergast and Sally Mendzela, who were arrested on Spectra property in December, Peter Nightingale who was arrested on Spectra property in August, and Nick Katkevich who was arrested on Spectra property in September.

In a statement Peter Nightingale said, “Fossil Free Rhode Island will continue to confront the Raimondo administration with the fact that natural gas is more dangerous for the global climate than coal and oil.  Fossil Free Rhode Island will not stand idly by as front line communities and Burrillville in particular are treated as sacrifice zones.”

I’ll have some video on this later today, and will update if the Governor’s office responds.

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Patreon

Invenergy attempts to sideline public input on proposed power plant in Burrillville


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2015-12-07 FANG BASE Raimondo Whitehouse 003Lawyers for Invenergy have filed documents with the court objecting to the Motions for Intervention filed by several local property owners, activist groups and individuals. At contention is the proposed “Clear River Energy Center” (CREC), a 850-1000 megawatt power plant fueled by imported methane gas, to be built in Burrillville.

The Rhode Island Energy Facilities Siting Board (RI EFSB) has scheduled a preliminary hearing to consider Invenergy’s application for January 12 at 9:30am. Public commentary will not be heard at this hearing, only those parties and participants granted intervenor status by the Siting Board will have a voice in the proceedings.

In their court filing, Invenergy objected to the following groups and individuals’ motion for intervenor status: property owners Dennis and Kathy Sherman and Paul and Mary Boldue; activist and political groups Occupy Providence, Fossil Free RI, the Progressive Democrats of Rhode Island (RIPDA), Fighting Against Natural Gas (FANG) and  Burrillville Against Spectra Expansion (BASE); and Sister Mary Pendergast, as an individual.

Invenergy does not have “specific objections” to the intervention requests of the Town of Burrillville, the State of RI Office of Energy Resources, National Grid, the Burrillville Land Trust or the Conservation Law Foundation.

Invenergy contends that intervention should only be granted to “Parties that have either statutory rights to intervene, directly affected interests that will not be adequately represented by other parties, or special public interests that compel intervention as a Party.”

Invenergy also objects to a separate motion “to extend the intervention period and to postpone the Preliminary Hearing” submitted by FANG and BASE.

RawsonIn their motion requesting a 45 day extension of the deadline to intervene, FANG and BASE argued that, “At the December 9th Burrillville Town Council Meeting, several residents voiced their confusion with the intervenor process and expressed frustration with the lack of information provided about the process. Residents posed questions to the Town Council that the Council was not equipped to answer.” Note that the Town of Burrillville, though ill-equipped to answer rudimentary questions about the process at the Town Council meeting, is one of the groups that Invenergy says will “adequately” and “capably” represent the public interest.

The requested extension, maintains FANG and BASE, would allow “interested individuals and parties… more time to learn more about the intervention process, seek legal counsel and draft motions to intervene.”

The Siting Board, according to the motion filed by FANG and BASE, sent out “the first announcement for the public hearing… on November 17th to only sixteen parties, most of whom were local or state government agencies or elected officials. November 17th was one week before the Thanksgiving holiday. The deadline for filing as an intervenor was set as December 22rd, leaving two days before Christmas and one day before Eid Milad ul­Nabi (the observance and celebration of the Prophet Muhammad’s life). Also happening during the intervention period was the Hanukkah holiday from December 7th-­14th.”

Residents affected by the proposed power plant’s siting were informed of the process with little time to seek counsel or determine if their interests were to be covered by approved intervenors. At the December 9 Burrillville Town Council meeting, Town Manager Michael Wood told Kathy Sherman that the town council’s job is to represent Burrillville, but that doesn’t mean that the town council will be representing every concern of every resident.

Yet in their court filing objecting to intervenor status being granted to Dennis and Kathy Sherman and Paul and Mary Boldue, Invenergy claims that their interests will be adequately protected by the Town of Burrillville as a Party.

Invenergy objected to Occupy Providence, Fossil Free RI  and RIPDA being granted intervenor status because none of the groups is represented by a lawyer. The groups maintain that the rule cited by Invenergy is applicable to Parties, as legally defined, and not to participants. Further, Invenergy claims that the groups will not “be ‘directly affected’ by the project in a manner that will not be represented by other parties.”

Hilariously, one of the Parties that Invenergy claims will represent the interests of Occupy Providence, Fossil Free RI  and RIPDA is National Grid, a company with a history of disregarding the concerns of Rhode Islanders and the environment in its endless craving for corporate profits.

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Governor Raimondo at the CREC press conference

Invenergy further claims that “interests related to carbon emissions and the state’s overall energy policy will be more than adequately represented by other Parties” including the Governor’s Office of Energy Resources. Governor Gina Raimondo has very publicly supported the proposed energy plant, so it is highly doubtful that the interests of Occupy Providence, Fossil Free RI and RIPDA will be represented by Parties advocating for her interests.

FANG and BASE were represented by a lawyer in their motion to intervene, but Invenergy says that these “grassroots organizations” will be “cabably represented” by the Conservation Law Foundation (CLF), the Town of Burrillville, the DPUC and the RI Department of Environmental Management.

This is another strange statement, because when I emailed Josh Block, the press secretary for the Conservation Law Foundation, he wrote back saying, “By intervening in the pending Energy Facility Siting Board (EFSB) docket, CLF will present multiple arguments as to why Invenergy should be denied a permit to build an expensive, long-lived, carbon-emitting fossil-fuel power plant. A proposal such as this which makes little economic or environmental sense has unsurprisingly garnered opposition from a large number of stakeholders, each with unique interests and perspectives. Thus, any assertion that CLF’s participation in the docket is a reason for excluding other intervenors in the process is as misguided as the proposal itself.” (Italics mine)

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Sister Mary Pendergast, in pink, being arrested

Sister Mary Pendergast, explaining her reasons for being arrested during a protest organized by FANG and BASE, said, “Pope Francis has called us all to an ecological conversion and he said it is essential and not an option.” Her motion to intervene has also been opposed by Invenergy, apparently, because her philosophical and theological concerns will be “adequately” and “capably” represented by the corporate and governmental interests of approved Parties, which is errant nonsense.

The fact is that the interests of the people will not be adequately represented in these proceedings if these motions for intervention are denied. The interests of the public are routinely and bureaucratically sidelined by relegating our voices to public commentary hearings with no real power or weight. Invenergy, though, depends on these public hearings to provide the appearance of public input where there is none, saying, “There will be ample opportunity… to provide comments, views, oppositions and data, in the form of public comment, in writing or in public testimony, at the appropriate time…”

This is how the voices of the public are silenced. We are relegated to separate, lesser forums, scheduled after the real decisions have been made. We are allowed to speak only when our objections have been rendered moot. It is only after our rights have been sacrificed to appease corporate power and after our world is destroyed that our voices will be heard, and that will be too late.

The motions for intervention should be granted.

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Spectra Energy protesters who planted tulips are sentenced in court


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Those arrested in Burrillville earlier this month for trespassing onto land owned by Spectra Energy and planting tulips were processed in court today. They were given a filing in court which will not be put on their permanent record if there are no further arrests this year, and told to not trespass onto Spectra Energy property again. Spectra is currently working to upgrade pipelines and compressor stations in Burrillville as part of a massive methane gas expansion project. Protesters are hoping to stop the project and save the planet.

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Kyle Schulz, Andrea Doremus, Mary Pendergast, Lauren Niedel and Sally Mendzela

In a statement, Sister Mary Pendergast wrote, “A culture of care is part of my spirituality: care of Earth, and care of people who are poor. Pope Francis has called us all to an ecological conversion and he said it is essential and not an option. He asks for a revolution of Mercy as well as a bold, cultural revolution. The Paris agreement is calling for an end to the fossil fuel era NOW! Yet the Burrillville plant will lock RI into fracked gas for the next 30 years. It is beyond time for the people to rise up, sure as the tulips we planted on Spectra.”

Andrea Doremus, also arrested and processed through court today, wrote, “I got arrested because I’m a high school U.S. history and Civics teacher, and I feel it is my educational and moral responsibility to model for my students what it means to stand up for what you believe in, and to use the tools of civil society to challenge that which is wrong and out of balance. Democracy is earned, not given – the forces of greed make sure that is true. And every generation needs to learn and earn it again.

“As Naomi Klein says, we are at a historical juncture. I believe it is our democratic responsibility to act.”

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Burrillville Town Council argues with, disappoints residents on gas expansion project


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Kathy Martley (right) addresses the Burrillville Town Council

Burrillville Town Councilor Stephen Rawson became combative with some of those who spoke against the Spectra pipeline expansion and Invenergy’s new fracked methane power plant at this week’s council meeting.

Rawson was quiet early on as Kathy Martley, who leads BASE (Burrillville Against Spectra Expansion), read her statement about the health and environmental dangers of a methane gas energy plant. She ended her talk by urging the town council to pass a resolution opposing the buildup of fracked gas infrastructure in Burrillville.

Rawson was even quiet when Nick Katkevich of FANG (Fighting Against Natural Gas) handed out copies of a recent story in RI Future in which two former Spectra safety inspectors alleged dangerous working conditions on Spectra’s build sites and a disregard for environmental and safety regulations.

But Rawson’s ability to restrain himself reached its limit with the third speaker, Lauren Niedel, who spoke of why she opposes the buildup of fracked methane infrastructure in northern Rhode Island and why she decided to be arrested for trespass, along with seven others, as a protest against Spectra over the weekend.

In the course of her testimony Niedel said that, “Governor Raimondo just came out saying she wants us to be using 100 percent renewable energy by 2025,” a reference to Raimondo’s executive order, signed in a State House ceremony the day before. Niedel misspoke, she meant to say that the order was for all state buildings to be using 100 percent renewables by 2025.

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Stephen Rawson

Rawson jumped on Niedel for this. “Can you give the date and time that Governor Raimondo said these things?” he asked.

“Yesterday,” said Niedel, along with several other people crowded in to the town council chambers. “It was for government buildings.”

“I believe it would be hypocritical of [Raimondo] to have a press conference to welcome the power plant, then come out with that statement,” said Rawson, “But for state buildings, that’s different.”

Rawson then looked at Niedel and admonished her, saying, “That was an exaggeration.”

“I’m sorry I misspoke,” said Niedel.

Of course, this wasn’t the point Niedel was trying to make. Governor Raimondo supports the proposed Invenergy Clear River power plant. The plant will have “a 30 year life span,” said Niedel, “We will be indebted with a fossil fuel infrastructure until 2050, making us beholden to Invenergy until then.”

Niedel’s point appears to be that for the Governor to have one standard for state buildings and another for the the rest of Rhode Island is hypocritical, or at least inconsistent. But that point was lost on Rawson, who went in for a cheap rhetorical hit instead of grappling with Niedel’s larger point.

Later that same evening Rawson got into what seemed to be a full on argument with Kathy Sherman, a Burrillville resident seeking clarification on just what the Town Council would be doing when negotiating with Invenergy about the proposed power plant. Sherman’s home is within a half mile of the plant’s location, and she is afraid that her property values are going to plummet due to the noise and air pollution a large power plant will bring. Will the town council be representing her needs, she wondered, or should she and her neighbors retain their own lawyers?

It was a complex question, and Town Manager Michael Wood didn’t have a lot of information or satisfactory answers. Much of what Invenergy is proposing hasn’t been fully revealed yet. There are hundreds of details to nail down. The town council’s job is to represent Burrillville, said Wood, but that doesn’t mean that the town council will be representing every concern of every resident.

Rawson then jumped in to explain that 25 years ago, the town went through the exact same process with the Ocean State energy plant. There was noise, there was construction, there was the “occasional blow off” but the plant ultimately had no effect on property values, said Rawson.

“That was 30 years ago,” replied Sherman, “things are different now.”

“Not 30 years,” said Rawson.

“1987, 2015. That’s thirty years, minus two,” she countered.

Now Rawson was exasperated. “Can I speak now?” he asked, eager to finish what he called his “history lesson.”

“Maybe you should listen instead of talking,” said Sherman. She didn’t have time for history lessons. She needed to understand the town council’s intentions, and was realizing that the town council had little idea of what it’s intentions were going to be.

“Please be patient,” commanded Rawson, “We’re going to do what’s necessary to mitigate the negative impacts.”

“You sound like Algonquin,” said Sherman, to a smattering of applause. She was referring to Spectra’s Algonquin pipeline expansion.

“Algonquin’s not the issue here,” countered Rawson, employing one of the town council’s favorite tactics, “We’re talking about the power plant.”

Whenever a speaker brings up an aspect of the power plant in reference to the pipeline or mentions the pipeline in relation to the power plant, town councilors pounce on the chance to explain that these are two different projects from two different companies. Of course most of those speaking to the town council know this. The projects, though different, are related: by proximity, because both projects are in Burrillville; by nature, as they are both methane infrastructure projects; and by business, since the pipeline will be supplying the methane that powers the energy plant.

Rawson and some other town councillors sometimes smugly correct speakers in this way to score easy, rhetorical points and shut down the conversation. Maybe it’s easier than addressing the concerns of the public in an honest, open way.

“We are in the process of developing an idea of what we want to do,” said Wood, the town manager. “You have to take a leap of faith and trust that the town council will do what’s best.”

This inspired pained groans from the audience.

Outside, after the meeting, residents clustered in small groups, talking about what had just transpired inside. They were not very happy. A consensus quickly formed that Rawson and Councillor Donald Fox, who had interrupted and admonished a woman in an argument about water filters, never treated male speakers with the kind of disrespect and argumentative tone they used when addressing women.

One resident, who hadn’t spoken during the meeting, asked if it was possible to recall the council members and force a new election. Another pointed out that they were in an election year, and that change was in the offing if the town council doesn’t begin to better represent the concerns of the residents.

There were three categories of speakers at the town council meeting. Those for the methane infrastructure build up, those against it, and those neutral on the subject but who are afraid that having such facilities so close to their homes will ruin their property values. Kathy Sherman falls into the last category.

Only two people spoke in favor of the new power plant. Chris Votta is a union iron worker, interested in the construction jobs the project will create. David Eston is a power plant worker who believes that methane will be a necessary bridge fuel as we make the conversion to renewables.

But every other speaker, and a large number of those crowded into the council chambers, opposed the project.

In their flyer “Invenergy talks about clean energy, then proposes gas, not a clean energy,” said one resident, “natural gas and fracking is exactly the opposite of” clean energy.

“Having a second power plant in this small town is complete insanity,” said another.

Lorraine Broussard, a self-described “ardent environmentalist” was one of the last to speak against the projects, saying, “Fossil fuel is a dinosaur on the eve of extinction… Natural Gas is a fracking lie.”

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FANG and BASE crash Raimondo/Whitehouse press conference


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2015-12-07 FANG BASE Raimondo Whitehouse 008Governor Gina Raimondo and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse found themselves confronted by activists from Burrillville Against Spectra Expansion (BASE) and Fighting Against Natural Gas (FANG) at a press conference to announce a new federal program to fund “major infrastructure projects like the 6-10 Connector in Providence.”

As US Representative David Cicilline finished up his short statement about the transportation funding, four activists, including Nick Katkevich of FANG and Kathy Martley of BASE entered the press conference area, under the 6-10 Connector behind Wes’ Rib House in Olneyville.

The four protesters held large signs and stayed quiet throughout Gina Raimondo’s short presentation. After the press conference ended, Kathy Martley tried to get the attention of the governor with a question about the new methane gas energy plant planned for Burrillville, but the Governor and Senator Whitehouse seemed intent on only answering the questions of the media present, and avoided engaging with the protesters.

In the video, Katkevich said to Whitehouse, “You’re not a climate champion, you’re supporting a fossil fuel power plant,” before asking, “You go to Nebraska, to fight the Keystone, but you can’t go to Burrillville?”

Whitehouse, “didn’t say a word” to the protesters, according to Martley by phone after the event was over. She was told by a Whitehouse aid that she and BASE had “given us enough information” on the pipeline expansion and new power plant. Martley complained to me that when she had previously approached Whitehouse, he had promised to meet with her, but that meeting never materialized. Today, Whitehouse simply ignored her and drove away.

Governor Raimondo, said Martley, “didn’t want to talk to us… she said ‘we’ll meet with you’ and I said, ‘we’ve tried to call your office and you’re still not making a date with us. Are you going to make a date with us when the power plant is already built?'”

This is the second time that Martley and BASE have attended a Raimondo press conference to ask about the methane infrastructure expansion projects in Burrillville. Back in September she crashed the governor’s press conference for the opening of the Linear Park. Today’s action comes on the heels of a large weekend rally and march against Spectra in Burrillville in which eight people were arrested.

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