spectra – RI Future

October 26, 2016

Pipeline tariff killed in Connecticut, Rhode Island an outlier

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The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) has decided against the proposal for gas capacity tariffs on the Spectra Access Northeast pipeline. This announcement comes on the heels of decisions by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court and New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission rejecting similar proposals. The Rhode Island Public Utilities Commission (RIPUC) declined to kill the local version of the plan in September, but the plan seems doomed anyway.

“With yet another state abandoning proposals for more natural gas pipeline capacity, these efforts to expand fossil fuel infrastructure in New England have hit a virtually unsurpassable roadblock,” said Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) president Bradley Campbell in a statement. “Without Massachusetts, New Hampshire or Connecticut in the mix, Spectra has lost a whopping 84 percent of the customer base needed to finance this ill-conceived proposal. It’s time to kill this project altogether and look forward to opportunities for the clean, renewable alternatives that our families demand, our markets expect and our laws require.”

It is unknown when the RIPUC will act to reject the proposal here.

October 25, 2016October 25, 2016

‘We have no fossil fuel industry here in Rhode Island,’ said Governor Raimondo this morning, but actually…

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Governor Gina Raimondo was the introductory speaker Tuesday morning at the AWEA Offshore WindPower 2016 conference in Warwick. Raimondo spoke to the conference attendees, mostly representatives of various wind power companies and allied industries, with some federal and state government employees on hand as well. Raimondo was keen on selling Rhode Island as a place for the growth and development of renewable energy such as solar and wind.”

“I am an advocate for the environment,” said Raimondo, “and I usually begin my comments in audiences such as these talking about the reality of climate change… Climate change is real, caused by human activity and not going to go away on it’s own. It’s up to us, policy makers, business leaders, entrepreneurs to meet the challenge of climate change.”

Comparing the problem of climate change to her work on pension reform, Raimondo said, “Climate change isn’t that different from big, thorny fiscal issues, which is to say it’s not going to go away unless we take action and it’s only going to get harder the longer we wait. So we have to meet the challenges of climate change with urgency and a seriousness of purpose, in the same way we would with other fiscal challenges.”

The governor then made her pitch for creating jobs in the state. “As Governor of Rhode Island I want my state to be a leader. Number one, it’s the right thing to do, number two, I want our state to be known as the state that solves problems and meets challenges. But number three, the silver lining in meeting the challenge of climate change is that we can create jobs.

“The good news here is that we can create jobs in solar, in wind, in energy efficiency, and those are the kind of jobs that I want to have here in Rhode Island.

“My message is that all the things about Rhode Island that enabled us to be first, with Deepwater Wind, are the reason you ought to think about doing business in Rhode Island,” said Raimondo, before making a very questionable claim that, “we have no fossil fuel industry here in Rhode Island. We’re not ‘as attached’ to [the] ‘good old’ fossil fuel industry. That’s a big deal. That means we have a culture embracing of this industry [wind energy].”

The governor’s press secretary, David Ortiz, later clarified what Governor Raimondo meant by this statement, saying that, “her point was that the state has no fossil fuel deposits and does not extract natural gas, crude oil or coal.”

2016-10-25-wind-conference-02 — Jeff Grybowski

Though this is true, it does not follow that Rhode Island has a “culture” embracing alternative energy. The fossil fuel industry has a giant economic, political and environmental presence in the state.

Putting aside the proposed Burrillville power plant, or any other of the proposed LNG infrastructure expansions in various stages of being approved, “Rhode Island’s Port of Providence,” according to the US Energy Information Administration (USEIA), “is a key regional transportation and heating fuel products hub” and “natural gas fueled 95 percent of Rhode Island’s net electricity generation in 2015.”

The USEIA goes on to say that Rhode Island “does not produce or refine petroleum,” as Raimondo’s office clarified, but, “Almost all of the transportation and heating fuel products consumed in Rhode Island, eastern Connecticut, and parts of Massachusetts are supplied via marine shipments through the Port of Providence. The port area has petroleum storage tanks, and a small-capacity petroleum product pipeline runs from the port to central Massachusetts.”

Rhode Island is heavily dependent on LNG imports. “Electric power generators and the residential sector are Rhode Island’s largest natural gas consumers. More than half of the natural gas consumed in the state goes to the electric power sector and almost all in-state electricity generation is fueled with natural gas,” says the USEIA, “Historically, natural gas has arrived in Rhode Island from producing areas in Canada and from the U.S. Gulf Coast and Mid-Continent regions, but increasing amounts of natural gas are coming from Appalachian Shales, particularly the Marcellus Shale of Pennsylvania.” This makes Rhode Island heavily dependent on fracked gas for its power generation.

And finally, as far as the dirtiest fossil fuel, coal, goes, “Providence is one of the leading coal import centers in the northeast, receiving one-tenth of the imported coal delivered to eastern customs districts in 2015. The state is part of the six-state Independent System Operator-New England (ISO-NE) regional grid. And, although Rhode Island and Vermont are the only two states in the nation with no coal-fired electricity generation, the ISO-NE grid remains dependent on coal-fired facilities during periods of peak electricity demand.”

So, although Rhode Island has no industry producing or refining fossil fuels, Rhode Island is heavily burdened and intertwined with the fossil fuel industry. We are soaking in fossil fuels as an importer and exporter. We fund the fracking of America with our energy choices, and even as we are economically and politically dictated to by companies like National Grid, Spectra, Invenergy and Motiva (a subsidiary of Saudi Aramco and Shell Oil Company, we bear the environmental scars of their abuse of our habitats and our health.

This is the fossil fuel industry in Rhode Island.

It is massive and it is killing us.

Also speaking at the AWEA Offshore WindPower 2016 conference was Deepwater Wind’s Jeff Grybowski, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse and Representative David Cicilline.

October 12, 2016

New Hampshire joins Mass. in rejecting pipeline tariff

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National Grid’s proposed pipeline tariff, now under an indefinite stay per the Public Utilities Commission here in Rhode Island, was rejected in New Hampshire last week. The controversial and complicated plan, which would make electricity ratepayers in New England financially responsible for the creation and profitability of a new fracked gas pipeline, involves multiple companies working together across multiple states. Here’s a description from the New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission:

“Eversource is a public utility headquartered in Manchester, operating under the laws of the State of New Hampshire as an electric distribution company (EDC). Algonquin is an owner-operator of an interstate gas pipeline located in New England. Algonquin is owned by a parent company, Spectra Energy Corp (Spectra), a publicly-traded corporation headquartered in Houston, Texas. Algonquin has partnered with Eversource’s corporate parent, Eversource Energy, headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, and Hartford, Connecticut, and with National Grid, the parent company of EDC subsidiaries in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, to develop the Access Northeast pipeline. In general terms, Eversource Energy’s EDC subsidiaries in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire and National Grid’s EDC subsidiaries in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, are each individually seeking regulatory approval of gas capacity on the Access Northeast pipeline.”

When the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled against National Grid’s pipeline tariff in Massachusetts, the Conservation Law Foundation brought a motion to dismiss the proposal here in Rhode Island. Instead, the PUC issued an indefinite stay in the proceedings, with the caveat that National Grid file a progress report on January 13, 2017.

Last week the New Hampshire PUC ruled against their state’s involvement in the plan, writing,

“The proposal before us would have Eversource purchase long-term gas pipeline capacity to be used by gas-fired electric generators, and include the net costs of its purchases and sales in its electric distribution rates. That proposal, however, goes against the overriding principle of restructuring, which is to harness the power of competitive markets to reduce costs to consumers by separating unregulated generation from fully regulated distribution. It would allow Eversource to reenter the generation market for an extended period, placing the risk of that decision on its customers. We cannot approve such an arrangement under existing laws. Accordingly, we dismiss Eversource’s petition.

“We acknowledge that the increased dependence on natural gas-fueled generation plants within the region and the constraints on gas capacity during peak periods of demand have resulted in electric price volatility. Eversource’s proposal is an interesting one, with the potential to reduce that volatility; but it is an approach that, in practice, would violate New Hampshire law following the restructuring of the electric industry. If the General Court believes EDCs should be allowed to make long-term commitments to purchase gas capacity and include the costs in distribution rates, the statutes can be amended to permit such activities.”

The Maine Public Utilities commission has voted in favor of the pipeline tariff.

October 6, 2016October 6, 2016

While championing renewables, Raimondo dog whistles fossil fuels

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“At breakfast this morning my nine year old, out of the blue, said, ‘Mom, what are you doing about climate change?’” said Governor Gina Raimondo at a press event in the offices of Newport Solar on Monday, “What a perfect day to ask the question! So I told him all about this and he was proud of me that we were on that.”

Newport Solar in North Kingstown is where Raimondo chose to kick off National Energy Awareness Month with her new Office of Energy Resources (OER) commissioner Carol Grant. Newport Solar is a Rhode Island leader in solar installation, and its successful efforts should be lauded.

“Our clean energy sector in Rhode Island has created a slew of new opportunities for education and jobs, and that will continue as we move forward in building the clean energy industry,” said Raimondo at the event.

Commissioner Grant spoke about Rhode Island’s high ranking in the State Energy Efficiency Scorecard. The American Council on Energy‐Efficient Economy (ACEEE) recently ranked Rhode Island fourth in the country for best energy efficiency programs and policies. “We want to educate Rhode Islanders on the many benefits of the state’s energy efficiency and renewable energy programs,” said Grant, “and we look forward to further developing a future of clean, affordable, reliable and diversified energy.” [italics mine]

Also at the event was Michael Ryan, Vice President of Government Affairs at National Grid, encouraging Rhode Islanders to save energy.

Energy in Rhode Island needs to be “affordable, reliable, and clean” said Raimondo, “It’s got to be all three, and it can be all three.”

Later, Raimondo’s three criteria had mysteriously become four, or more. “So I’m going to continue to lead and push, as your governor, towards more clean, affordable, and reliable and diversified energy sources… to lead the nation in more and more sources of clean, renewable, affordable, sustainable energy.”

Towards the end of the presser, National Grid’s Michael Ryan, ironically standing in front of a large Newport Solar banner emblazoned with the tagline, “Think outside the grid,” mis-repeated Raimondo, saying that the energy must be “efficient, affordable and reliable.

“Those are key with National Grid.”

In the video below you can watch the complete press event. Solar, wind and efficiency were lauded but fracked gas, the third leg of Raimondo’s energy policy, and a key driver of National Grid’s business, was never mentioned except via subtle dog whistles.

These dog whistles are words like reliable, diversified and efficient. These are the words anti-environmentalists use when they want to scare us into accepting fracked gas as a bridge fuel, like when Rush Limbaugh said, “Solar panels are not sustainable, Millennials. May sound good, yes. ‘Clean, renewable energy.’ But what do you do when the sun’s down at night? What do you do when the clouds obscure the sun? We’re not there yet.”

Limbaugh admits that solar panels are clean and renewable. But he’s doubting their reliability and sustainability.

This is how a politician like Raimondo can appease companies like National Grid, which are actively working to expand Rhode Island’s dependence on fossil fuels, while publicly talking only about the work she’s doing on energy that’s actually clean and renewable.

On April 13 Raimondo appeared at a solar farm in East Providence to announce the results of the 2016 Rhode Island Clean Energy Jobs Report released by the Rhode Island OER and the Executive Office of Commerce. At this event Marion Gold, who publicly supported the power plant planned for Burrillville, was still the OER commissioner.

“The clean energy economy is supporting nearly 14,000 jobs,” said Raimondo, “a forty percent increase from last year. That is amazing.”

The press release for this event noted that this job growth was likely the result of the “maturation of the solar industry, start up activity in smart grid technologies, and the progress made on the construction of the Block Island Wind Farm.”

There was no mention at this event of fracked gas, Burrillville, Invenergy, Spectra pipelines, or National Grid’s expansion of LNG at Fields Point, until reporters asked the governor about it directly, at which point Raimondo somewhat reluctantly admitted that she does in fact support Invenergy’s $700 million fracked gas and diesel oil burning power plant planned for Burrillville.

In Raimondo’s capacity as vice chair of the Governors’ Wind Energy Coalition she was proud to “support the foresight of my colleagues to broaden the Coalition’s focus and include solar energy development as a policy priority. Wind and solar provide complementary benefits to the U.S. electric grid and will help diversify the country’s energy mix. The need for states to take a broader view of renewable power is clear.”

Again, no mention of her support for fracked gas.

Raimondo has consistently touted her support for renewables like wind and solar, only occasionally voicing her support for fracking. Raimondo never holds a press release in front of a fracked gas pipeline or compressor station. She holds them at wind turbines and solar farms, giving the appearance of a strong leader on the environment.

But National Grid and Invenergy need to know she’s on board with their plans, so she signals her support during the press conference with careful phrasing.

And if the governor’s phrasing is off message, National Grid’s Michael Ryan will misquote her. “Clean” energy is out, “reliable” energy is in. In other words, “Let them eat fracked gas.”

Raimondo’s choice of location for her press conferences demonstrates that if she is not embarrassed by her support of fracked gas, she at least is beginning to recognize how history will ultimately judge her support.

As Bill McKibben said in a recent message to Rhode Island, “Five to ten years ago we thought the transition was going to be from coal, to natural gas as some sort of bridge fuel, onto renewables and now, sadly, we realize we can’t do that in good faith, because natural gas… turns out to be a dead end, not a bridge to the future but a kind of rickety pier built out into the lake of hydrocarbons.”

Fracked gas was well known to be a bad idea when Raimondo stood with Invenergy’s CEO Michael Polsky and tried to sell the idea to Rhode Island. Raimondo’s support for Invenergy’s power plant was a massive political blunder with consequences not only for her political career, but for the future of Rhode Island and the world.

A future, and a world, her children will be living in.

August 17, 2016August 26, 2016

Court kills pipeline tariff in Mass, RI still considering

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As the Rhode Island Public Utilities Commission considers a request from National Grid to have ratepayers help subsidize a controversial pipeline project, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled against such pipeline tariffs in a decision released Wednesday.

“This is an incredibly important and timely decision,’ said David Ismay, the Conservation Law Foundation’s lead attorney on the case. ‘Today our highest court affirmed Massachusetts’ commitment to an open energy future by rejecting the Baker Administration’s attempt to subsidize to the dying fossil fuel industry. The course of our economy and our energy markets runs counter to the will of multi-billion dollar pipeline companies, and thanks to today’s decision, the government will no longer be able to unfairly and unlawfully tip the scales in their favor.”

The ruling by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court may have an impact on National Grid‘s proposed “pipeline tariff” here in Rhode Island. The Massachusetts court deemed “it unlawful for Massachusetts to force residential electricity customers to subsidize the construction of private gas pipelines, requiring the companies themselves to shoulder the substantial risks of such projects rather than allowing that risk to be placed on hardworking families across the Commonwealth,” according the the Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) who brought the case.

The CLF was the plaintiff in the Massachusetts case. The CLF maintained in their motion to intervene in the Rhode Island case that “an electricity distribution company” entering “into a contract for natural gas transportation capacity and storage services” and receiving “cost recovery for its gas contract from electricity ratepayers” is “something that has never occurred in the United States since the Federal Power Act was enacted in 1935, during President Roosevelt’s first term in office.”

Megan Herzog, one of the two lawyers representing the CLF before the RIPUC said in a phone call that the “pipeline is a bad deal for the whole region and that the Massachusetts court affirmed that.” Though the judge ruled on the case using Massachusetts law, there are statutes in Rhode Island that reflect similar principles.

According to Craig S. Altemose, a senior advisor forthe anti-LNG advocacy group 350 Mass for a Better Future, “It is unclear how much this will be a fatal blow to any of Spectra’s proposed projects, but we have absolutely undercut their financing (to the tune of $3 billion), called into question similar pipeline tax proposals in other states, [italics added] and have given Spectra’s investors greater reason for pause. Either way, we have unambiguously won a victory that the people’s money should be not used for private projects that further commit us to climate catastrophe.”

“Today’s decision reinforces what we already know: it’s not in the public interest to subsidize new fossil fuel infrastructure. It deals a serious blow to companies like Spectra who wanted to subsidize their risky projects with handouts from ratepayers. Communities facing an onslaught of fracked gas projects in their backyards like those in Burrillville have good reason to feel hopeful right now. We urge Governor [Gina] Raimondo and the Rhode Island PUC to follow the lead of Massachusetts and reject the pipeline tax,” Ben Weilerstein, Rhode Island community organizer with Toxics Action Center said.

Though the ruling in Massachusetts has no statutory value in Rhode Island, it may establish some lines of legal reasoning that will be helpful as the Rhode Island Public Utilities (RIPUC) Commission decides on Docket 4267, the Rhode Island part of National Grid’s ambitious plan to charge electrical ratepayers not only for pipeline infrastructure investments, but also to guarantee the company’s profits as they do so.

National Grid responded with the following statement: “This is a disappointing setback for the project, which is designed to help secure New England’s clean energy future, ensure the reliability of the electricity system, and most importantly, save customers more than $1 billion annually on their electricity bills. We will explore our options for a potential path forward with Access Northeast and pursue a balanced portfolio of solutions to provide the clean, reliable, and secure energy our customers deserve. While natural gas remains a key component in helping to secure New England’s long-term energy future, the recently passed clean energy bill also presents a welcomed opportunity to support the development of large-scale clean energy, such as hydro and wind.”

Yesterday The RIPUC held a hearing on Docket 4627, asking National Grid to explain why it used such a “broad brush” in redacting information in its application. In the meeting announcement it was said that RIPUC Chair Margaret Curran thought “it is not intuitively clear how the information redacted falls within the exception to the Access to Public Records Act.” Much of what National Grid argues that much of what it wants to keep secret falls into the category of trade secrets, and releasing the information would put it at an unfair disadvantage with competitors, such as NextEra Energy Resources, LLC (NextEra).

As pointed out previously, National Grid will not release how much money ratepayers will be on the hook for if this idea is approved by the RIPUC.

Here’s full video of the hearing:

NextEra brought a separate motion to allow its lawyers access to highly confidential parts of National Grid’s application.

Here’s the full video of that hearing:

The Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) released the following statement today in response to the favorable decision from the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court in Conservation Law Foundation v. Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities (DPU):

‘This is an incredibly important and timely decision,’ said David Ismay, CLF’s lead attorney on the case. ‘Today our highest court affirmed Massachusetts’ commitment to an open energy future by rejecting the Baker Administration’s attempt to subsidize to the dying fossil fuel industry. The course of our economy and our energy markets runs counter to the will of multi-billion dollar pipeline companies, and thanks to today’s decision, the government will no longer be able to unfairly and unlawfully tip the scales in their favor.’

According to the opinion by Justice Cordy, DPU’s 2015 rule (“Order 15-37”) allowing Massachusetts electric customers to be charged for the construction of interstate gas pipelines is prohibited by the plain languages of statutes that have been the law of the land in Massachusetts for almost two decades.

In his opinion, Justice Cordy wrote, Order 15-37 is ‘invalid in light of the statutory language and purpose of G. L. c. 164, § 94A, as amended by the restructuring act, because, among other things, it would undermine the main objectives of the act and reexpose ratepayers to the types of financial risks from which the Legislature sought to protect them.’

May 26, 2016May 26, 2016

Sound and fury over power plant at the Burrillville Town Council

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Wednesday night’s Burrillville Town Council meeting began on a cautionary note as Council President John Pacheco warned those in attendance against outbursts, threats or cursing. These meetings are recorded, said Pacheco. The last meeting went too far, said Pacheco, and anyone acting that way tonight will be asked to leave. “Keep it civil, please,” said Pacheco.

Pacheco also acknowledged a change of policy regarding public comment under the Open Meetings Act. At previous meetings the town council maintained that they were not allowed to respond to comments and that only items on the agenda were allowed during public comment. Tonight Pacheco agreed that neither of these conditions are required under the law. This meant that tonight’s meeting was much more robust with the town council now having to say that they don’t want to answer certain questions, rather than saying that they are unable to answer.

Residents of Burrillville are up in arms about Invenergy‘s proposed fracked gas and diesel-oil burning power plant planned for the town. The plant’s owners promise lower taxes but residents say it will bring noise and pollution, as well as destroy precious wildlife habitats. The town council has been slow to respond to resident concerns about the power plant, and many feel that Town Manager Michael Wood has been actively working to bring the plant to town, rather than working in the best interests of residents.

Civility was maintained, but the anger of town residents was clearly on display. It was revealed at this meeting that on Saturday a group of anti-Power Plant protesters were asked to leave the Farmer’s Market because of their signs, petitions and tee shirts. This directive, say residents, came from Town Manager Wood. When asked about this at the meeting, Wood said that he only told the police and Burrillville Farmers’ Market Association Market Manager Deb Yablonski to not allow signs, not petitions and shirts. Wood said there is a long standing rule against “politicking” at the farmer’s market.

(When RI Future called Wood’s office earlier in the day to discuss this, Wood was out of the office and did not return our call)

Barry Craig, a lawyer, asked that the Town Council “provide guidance to the town manager” on the First Amendment, including the right to free speech and assembly. Lauren Niedel, a resident of nearby Glocester, rose to object to the word “politicking” saying that opposition to the power plant is not a political campaign.

Burrillville resident Jan Luby rose to express her distrust of Town Manager Wood. “I don’t believe our Town Manager is with us on this,” said Luby, “You’ve lied to us and we’ve caught you in those lies.” Christopher Watson rose to say, “He does not like this town, he does not treat the people of this town with respect.”

It was Jeremy Bailey who brought the conversation about Michael Wood to a boil, calling the town manager “a cancerous tumor.” Noting that he has heard from many people that Town Manager Wood is a bully, Bailey told the people on the stage, which included the entire town council and legal counsel of the Burrillville, “I bet there are people on the stage right now who have been bullied by Wood.” Bailey asked that the town council pass a resolution removing Wood from power, buying out his contract if necessary.

The town council took no action on Wood’s contract.

Residents were also concerned that the evening’s “executive session” of the town council, where the public is not allowed to observe, was being called by Wood to fast track a tax agreement with Invenergy for the power plant, ahead of Representative Cale Keable‘s bill that would allow the voters of the town to approve or reject such a tax treaty. Though the executive meeting was called by Wood and did concern Invenergy, residents were assured that no such action would take place.

There were a multitude of interconnecting issues discussed at the town council meeting concerning both the power plant proposed by Invenergy and the LNG compressor station upgrade proposed by Spectra. The compressor station emits a constant noise, which occasionally becomes extremely loud. Loud enough that some residents receive notifications ahead of “blow offs.” Residents fear that the new power plant will add to the noise once constructed, never mind the noise from trucks delivering materials to the build site and the sounds of construction.

Kathy Sherman said that Spectra, in their own materials, acknowledges that they are above the town mandated limit of 55 decibels. During a blow off, where LNG is literally released into the atmosphere to relive pressure in the pipeline, the sound is great enough that Sherman feels it would have given her husband a heart attack if he wasn’t given ample warning. Blow off, said resident Stephanie Sloman, emits 45 thousand tons of LNG a year from that one compressor station in Burrillville.

Spectra plans to build a bigger (and presumably larger) compressor station there soon.

Nicholas Cook gave a demonstration of the noise levels heard by residents. The low tone generated by Cook is not heard well on the recording below, but the sound immediately annoyed town solicitor Oleg Nikolyszyn, who asked that the sound be turned off almost immediately. Imagine that sound lasting from 10pm to 4am, almost every night, said resident Kathy Sherman, who lives 2050 feet from the compressor station.

You can watch Nick Cook’s noise demonstration, and all the rest of the Burrillville Town Council meeting, at least those parts concerning the power plant, below.

May 25, 2016May 25, 2016

Activists block pipeline with live-in, solar powered shipping container

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Peekskill, NY – Just four days after 21 people were arrested for peacefully blockading the entrance to a Spectra Algonquin Incremental Market (AIM) Pipeline work site, two people courageously locked themselves into a renewable-energy powered, 20-ft recycled shipping-container home at the work site, directly on the pipeline route. They plan to stay inside the container blockade for as long as possible.

The AIM Pipeline is a 42-inch, high pressure, fracked gas pipeline, which if completed will run through residential communities and within 105 feet of critical Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant safety facilities. The fully self-contained home is a strong symbol of both resilience and resistance: It is intended to halt construction of the dangerous AIM Pipeline and to represent the safe alternative living situation we need to move towards to fight climate change and to halt our dependence on fossil fuel, which drives the buildout of dangerous infrastructure like the AIM Pipeline. The container home was built using reclaimed and recycled materials, is powered by both photovoltaic solar panels and a bicycle generator, has a green roof growing succulents and herbs, has a solar-heated shower and a compost toilet, and comfortable living space and beds for two occupants. All of these measures are important, but without stopping fossil fuel infrastructure, we are still on a path to disaster – which is why this project is also designed to physically stop construction on the AIM Pipeline.

The sustainable home has two occupants, both of whom walked across the entire country to raise awareness about climate change as part of the Great March for Climate: Jane Kendall is a 65-year-old retired New York mother of two who would like to be spending more time with her family, but feels morally obligated as an elder to do her small part to stop Spectra and to fight for a renewable energy future; and Lee Stewart, a 29-year-old organizer with Beyond Extreme Energy, who has been working to stop FERC since they approved a fracked gas compressor station near his home as part of project that would feed Dominion’s Cove Point LNG export facility.

“I was inspired by the fierce, loving determination in the voices of 13 Resist AIM members who disrupted a FERC public meeting to call out the commissioners for their complicity in the destruction Spectra represents,” said Lee Stewart. “It is an honor to take up temporary residence in New York on the route of the AIM Pipeline.”

“Spectra has placed all of us on a destructive path and in harm’s way. Today this simple small house, built from reused and repurposed materials and powered by renewable energy, stands on the AIM Pipeline path to halt construction,” said Jane Kendall.

This action comes after years of residents and grassroots groups actively engaging in the regulatory process, only to be ignored by FERC. The City of Boston and several grassroots groups have filed a lawsuit in Federal Court challenging FERC approval of the project. In February, Governor Andrew Cuomo wrote to FERC asking for an immediate halt to construction while New York State conducts an independent risk assessment of siting the massive, high-pressure pipeline next to Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant. FERC denied the Governor’s request, and claimed that a risk assessment by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) showed that the plant was safe. Just five days ago, on May 20th, Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand called for an immediate halt to construction. Spectra’s Director of Stakeholder Outreach, Marylee Hanley, responded that “Algonquin Gas Transmission resumed construction on the Algonquin Incremental Market (AIM) project in April and will continue with its construction.”

“Now Spectra is rapidly proceeding with construction in our area despite opposition from thousands of New Yorkers and elected representatives,” said Kendall, “We are at a critical stage in this struggle, with project completion scheduled for November. Each day more trees are cut, more blasting takes place, and more pipeline is laid. It is necessary for us to stop this project now.”

There is no more time to wait. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has shown that it will not protect us from the fossil fuel industry that is destroying our climate. Instead, everyday people are stepping up and modeling the future we want to see while taking a stand against the dangerous pipeline that threatens us and our friends and neighbors.

“I am also taking this step because of the amazing connection I feel to the amazing people all over the state who are not only standing up to AIM, Spectra, and FERC, but who are also finding ways to build community during a time when the power that be are bent on keeping us isolated and narrowly focused,” said Stewart.

Online: www.resistaim.com

On Facebook: www.facebook.com/resistaim

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/ResistAIM

#StopSpectra #ResistAIM #Blockadia

[From a press release]

Democracy Now! covered this story here.

Lee Stewart protested Textron in RI, as seen in this piece on RI Future.

March 28, 2016

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:

This 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.

March 24, 2016May 3, 2016

Power plant already adversely affecting Burrillville property values say realtors

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During public commentary at the Burrillville Town Council meeting Wednesday night, two real estate agents talked about the negative effect the proposed gas and oil burning Clear River Energy Center is already having on property values in the town.

Jeremy Bailey, from Acumen Group Real Estate, testified that he recently had a prospective buyer from Riverside about to put half down on a $449,000 piece of property on East Wallum Lake Road.

“He liked everything about the property,” said Bailey, “But before the conversation ended he asked, ‘Where are they putting the power plant?’”

Bailey pointed up the road and explained that the proposed construction wasn’t too far away. By the time he finished the buyer backed out, saying, “Nah, I’m not interested anymore.”

2016-03-22 Burrillville 002 — Outside the Burrillvile Town Hall

After the meeting Bailey told me that the buyer told him to let him know how the March 31 public hearing on the power plant goes.

Paul Lefebvre, another realtor and owner of Acumen Group, testified that when he heard about the proposed plant two years ago, he didn’t think much about it. He couldn’t see any way that the Town Council might support such a plan. But recently he learned that the power plant has the support of both Senator Sheldon Whitehouse and Governor Gina Raimondo, and it now appears the power plant is being “forced on the town.”

“Which is insanity,” said Lefebvre, “I don’t see any benefits for the town. I see all detriments. Nothing good, only bad.”

Speaking about the effect the proposed power plant is having on property values, Lefebvre said, “We’ve lost some interest and lost one sale at the company I own because of the talk, the perception, of this thing coming to town.”

“What surprises me,” said Burrillville native and retired schoolteacher Chuck Boucher, “is that the political system seems to have cut us out of the process. I was under the impression that we were a democracy… I would like to think that when Governor Raimondo hears the situation out here that she realizes that it will adversely affect everyone’s property values. It will adversely affect everyone’s health. It will adversely affect the community at large. I would like to believe that she cares enough about her constituents to reconsider locating something of this size in a rural area that’s known for being pristine.”

Kathy Martley, founder of Burrillville Against Spectra Expansion (BASE), asked the Burrillville Town Council to consider a resolution similar to the one Providence City Councillor Seth Yurdin submitted to the Providence City Council last week that was adopted unanimously. Yurdin was concerned about the health, environmental and safety effects of the proposed Fields Point Liquefaction facility to be located in South Providence.

“As a Burrillville resident and tax payer, I urge you to pass the same resolution to stop this project,” said Martley, until health, environmental and safety studies are done.

Jeremy Bailey pointed out that the power plant wants to tap into the town well and the sewer system. “At a minimum,” said Bailey, the Town Council could speak to state and federal agencies and ask them to, “hold off on entertaining or approving” the power plant.

In the past the Burrillville Town Council has claimed to be powerless against the corporate might of multi-billion dollar fossil fuel companies like Invenergy and Spectra, but as Martley, Bailey and other residents speaking before the Town Council last night pointed out, there is plenty that can be done on a local level.

Video of all who testified on the proposed power plant here:

March 4, 2016March 6, 2016

Spectra pipeline in the New York Times

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Several days ago, the New York Times ran a story titled Plan to Expand Pipeline at Indian Point Raises Concern. It highlights the growing worry that the proposed Spectra natural gas transport route might one day pose a threat to a nuclear power plant beside the Hudson River.

This story of course brings into discussion an important side-note worthy of dissection. My editor at CounterPunch, Jeff St. Clair, has been adamant in his work as an environmental activist that the nuclear energy industry might at some point try to parlay the approaching depletion of fossil fuels and the global warming trends into an excuse for using nuclear fission as a “bridge fuel” away from carbon-producing ones.

Besides the obvious problems of meltdowns and accidents akin to the disaster at Fukushima, there is also the fact that nuclear waste produced by such plants is poisonous and dangerous. Uranium and other materials that cease to be powerful enough to generate electricity still are potent enough to pose a risk to humans. The disposal of the stuff is quite problematic.

Right now, the University of Rhode Island is host to a small reactor dating back to 1960. While providing some research material for students, it also costs a good deal of money for the state. In 2011, an intern was “accidentally” exposed to radiation in the facility. It is located quite close to the water and, should something ever occur, it would prove to be quite dangerous for the entire Narragansett Bay. The air within a twelve mile radius would be filled with radioactive iodine were there to be a core breach.

The proliferation of the fracking industry poses a viable threat for future tectonic activity that could severely damage the reactor. Climate change will create more powerful storms that could also cause problems. With all these factors in mind, it is important to be on guard for the sneakiness of the nuclear industrial complex.

January 18, 2016January 17, 2016

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

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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

November 5, 2015May 3, 2016

Spectra bills activists $30,000 for Burrillville pipeline project delays

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2015-09-14 FANG — Matt Smith, Keith Clougherty and Nick Katkevich

The FANG (Fighting Against Natural Gas) activists who locked themselves to Spectra construction equipment in September to call attention to the methane pipeline expansion project in Burrillville are facing a $30,000 restitution payment.

Nick Katkevich of Rhode Island, Keith Clougherty of Massachusetts and Matt Smith of New Jersey were handed an itemized bill by Spectra’s lawyers that supposedly covers the construction time lost as police and fire crews attempted to unlock the protesters. Ultimately the protesters unlocked themselves, and there are no reports of any damage done to any equipment.

“Spectra hired a contractor to perform some work,” said Oleg Nikolyszyn, the Burrillville town solicitor, in a phone interview. He was prosecuting the case until yesterday, when the defendants requested a jury trial in Superior Court.

“The contractor bills Spectra for the time they have certain equipment and men” on site, he explained. “As you can imagine they charge a ton of money by the hour, and the machines have to be there to do the job. If they could have been utilized somewhere else they could have been generating income for the contractor, but the contractor was required to be on site. So all this money for the contractor was billed to Spectra, and Spectra’s out of pocket for a lot of money.”

Katkevich, one of the defendants, said the district court judge was considering making the payment of restitution a condition of whatever deal is worked out. If applied, that would differ from the judge’s decision in the district court case of Sherrie Andre, who delayed construction with a tree sit earlier in the summer. The judge in that case refused to make payment of restitution a condition for settling the case and told Spectra that they should pursue any lost monies in civil court.

So far that hasn’t happened in this most recent case.

Solicitor Nikolyszyn said that in Superior Court, “Spectra will be asking a judge to order restitution, to make Spectra whole, for what these three individuals did. That’s up to the judge as to what to do. That’s who will order restitution and if so, how much.”

“It’s out of my hands as of yesterday,” said Nikolyszyn, “So the future of what happens in this case will be up to the Superior Court judge. Those cases in Superior Court are prosecuted by the Attorney General’s department.”

According to Katkevich, the activists are ready to take the case to trial in Superior Court and are preparing to make a “necessity defense.” This defense allows a person “to act in a criminal manner when an emergency situation, not of the person’s own creation compels the person to act in a criminal manner to avoid greater harm from occurring.”

The emergency situation, the defendants will argue, is climate change. The first successful use of the necessity defense for climate-related civil disobedience was in September of last year when Massachusetts District Attorney Sam Sutter dropped charges against climate activists Jay O’Hara and Ken Ward when they used their lobster boat to block a coal delivery to the Brayton Point Power Plant in Fall River. Solicitor Nikolyszyn says that the necessity defense was never brought up to him.

Defendant Keith Clougherty said a multinational corporation charging restitution is “an intimidation tactic used against grassroots organizations. If Spectra wants money they have the means to do a civil suit, and restitution is for those people who don’t have the means to go through with a civil suit. I think its ridiculous that Spectra can even use something like restitution through the legal system to punish us.”

Clougherty went on to say,

I think there’s a real conversation to be had around what restitution means. If we’re paying Spectra restitution because they’re the “victim” then I feel there’s a much larger conversation to be had around companies like Spectra having to pay restitution for years of damage and poison to communities that they operate in.

There are long standing health effects of the compressor station, their pipelines have leaked, and while they have been fined significantly in the past for specific violations, I think Spectra should be paying restitution for the damage they’ve been doing on the order of millions of dollars in health and property damage.

I think not just Spectra but all fossil fuel companies should have to pay really significant restitution to the communities all over the world that are facing the catastrophe of climate change right now.

I’m sure people are working on these kind of theories out there, I haven’t encountered them yet, but I think that’s something we really need to start talking about.

People interested in contributing to the defense fund can follow this link.

October 15, 2015May 3, 2016

Burrillville Town Council claims to be powerless against Spectra, Invenergy

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More than 50 people packed the Burrillville Town Council chamber to register their objection to the Spectra energy pipeline expansion and the new $700 million “Clear River” methane power plant that’s proposed for Wallum Lake Road by Invenergy. Kathy Martley, of Burrillville Against Spectra Expansion (BASE), presented the town council with research she had gathered outlining the health risks and dangers of pipelines and power plants in the community.

Council President John Pacheco III and the other councilors did not seem very receptive to the concerns of the citizens in attendance. In response to questions raised at previous meetings about half the town council recently toured the Spectra plant and examined the work being done on the pipeline. They left satisfied that the pipes were not corroding and that the noise levels were within acceptable limits.

One town councilor said that during the tour they were told that Spectra was digging up some pipelines, so the noise was louder than usual. She seemed surprised that those in attendance laughed. But it was less funny when the town council revealed that all the information they have on Spectra’s actions and all the information they have on safety and public health issues comes from Spectra, and there are no other sources of information available.

“We have no legal authority to regulate or look at their reports,” said Pacheco, “We have to rely on Spectra.”

This was the refrain of the Burrillville Town Council throughout the meeting. Only FERC (the Federal Energy Regulatory Agency) can regulate Spectra, claims the town council. Spectra doesn’t even have to obey the town’s noise ordinances. “We don’t have control over Spectra and we can’t enforce local ordinances” against them, said Town Councilor David Place.

Meanwhile the vibrations from the pipeline compressors are so overpowering that plates rattle in the cabinets of Kathy Sherman’s home, who lives across the street from Spectra, she said. She warned the town council that there may be dire impacts on Burrillville due to Spectra’s expansion that have nothing to do with health or the environment.

“When you have people leaving, not paying their taxes, you will suffer for that,” she said.

Said Kathy Martley of BASE, “The value of this town is going into the toilet. I urge you to pass a resolution to oppose this power plant.” The crowd overwhelmingly agreed, applauding and cheering Martley’s words. But the town council seemed unwilling to be moved by their voters.

“FERC and the governor have all the power,” says Councilor Nancy Binns, “we don’t.”

Several times Council President Pacheco tried to close off comment, and several times those in attendance had to insist on being heard. “Why don’t we get to vote on this?” asked a man at the back of the crowd, “Newport votes on gambling over and over again, but we just have to accept this?”

Instead of addressing the man’s concerns, Councilor Stephen Rawson insisted that discussing the new power plant would be illegal, since it’s not on the agenda, only the pipeline expansion is. This was news to Kathy Martley of BASE, who told me after the meeting that she’s pretty sure she asked that both items be on tonight’s docket.

Spectra held an open meeting recently in Burrillville. Residents were annoyed that “union people” holding signs in support of Spectra arrived early and took up all the parking spaces at the too small venue. Others complain that they don’t get proper notification about meetings from Spectra.

“Don’t you get notification of meetings?” asks a councilor.

“NO!” shouts virtually everyone in frustration.

“We asked about their notification process,” says Councilor Donald Fox, “they admitted that they aren’t as good as they used to be.”

Meanwhile, says Kathy Sherman, “No one from Spectra will return calls.”

The Town Councilors don’t want to be discussing this. They claim to be powerless in the face of Spectra. They recommend contacting Governor Gina Raimondo or State Representative Cale Keable. A man behind me says, referring to Keable, “He’s useless.”

Burrillville is home to two interstate methane gas pipelines, two methane gas compressor stations and the Ocean State power plant. Spectra Energy’s compressor station is already being expanded and a second expansion has been proposed. The proposed “Clear River” power plant plans to use Pascoag’s MBTE (methyl tert-butyl ether) tainted water supply for cooling.

In their press release, BASE suggested three things the town council could do in opposition to new methane energy infrastructure:

-Invenergy, the company that wants to build the plant, will try to negotiate with the town for a lower tax rate. If the Town refuses to negotiate with Invenergy and refuses to give them a tax break, the plant won’t be built.

-The Town will be asked by State agencies to submit official opinions about the power plant. If the Town Council says that they are against the plant, the State permits might not get approved.

-The power plant would need huge amounts of water to operate. The town has some power to deny Invenergy access to the local water supply and the pipes that will be needed to transport the water.

Amanda, another member of BASE, wants to know what the town council has done to move Burrillville towards a renewable energy future. After a few minutes of prevaricating, Councilor David Place is forced to admit that they’ve done almost nothing.

Invenergy also builds renewable energy power plants says Amanda, before demanding that the town council tell Invenergy to, “go solar or go home!”

After public comment on the subject is finally closed, and the citizens leave the building and gather outside on the sidewalk, no one seems happy with the performance of the town council. There is anger and frustration and talk of electing town councilors willing to stand with them against Spectra and Invenergy.

“When I started this two years ago, they could ignore me,” says Kathy Martley, of BASE, “They can’t ignore us any more.”

September 11, 2015

As I begin my fast

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I accuse!
As my friends have dared, so shall I dare. Dare to tell the truth, as I have pledged to tell it, in full, since the normal channels of justice have failed to do so. My duty is to speak out; I do not wish to be an accomplice in this travesty, the President’s Business Climate Action Plan. My nights would otherwise be haunted by the specter of the innocent people, far away, suffering the most horrible of tortures for a crime against Mother Nature they did not commit.

There you have it, a piece of my mind, freely adapted from Émile Zola’s J’accuse, but why and why now? Beyond Extreme Energy issued the following press release last Tuesday to announce their No New Permits fast at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC—this is the industry-captured body that rubber-stamps the projects described in a previous post)

(September 8, 2015) WASHINGTON, D.C.—On Tuesday morning, a dozen people begin an 18-day water-only fast in front of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to raise awareness of the agency’s contribution to worsening climate change and to harming the health and well-being of frontline communities where these projects are built.

The fasters, ranging in age from 23 to 72, are demanding that FERC issue “No New Permits” for industry projects such as interstate pipelines, compressor stations and LNG (liquefied natural gas) export terminals until the agency prioritizes solar, wind and other renewable sources of energy. These projects release methane pollution, a potent greenhouse gas that is worsening the impacts of climate change.

Fasters, organized by Beyond Extreme Energy, will hold vigil in front of FERC, 888 First St. NE, Washington, D.C., weekdays from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. They will be joined by others fasting for shorter periods at FERC or in their own communities.

They will end their fast on Friday, September 25, the day after Pope Francis speaks to Congress, where he is expected to address the issue of climate change and its disparate impact on the world’s poor.

In Rhode Island AFSC-SENE, Occupy Providence and Fossil Free RI are supporting the fast of our dear and unshakable friends in DC. I pledged to fast three days centered at each event in our community that I can attend. The fasts are Ramadan style: no food and liquids from sunrise to sunset. Beatrijs, my wife, is joining me to the extent that her diabetes allows it.

Here is our first event: a vigil with the Raging Grannies in Westerly this Saturday—hope to see you there!

September 9, 2015

Methane gas is no bridge fuel

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After a persistent campaign by a broad coalition of environmental groups and a string of escalating acts of civil disobedience, Rhode Island mainstream media have slowly begun to question the claim that “burning natural gas is about one-half as carbon-intensive as coal, which can make it a critical bridge fuel for many countries as the world transitions to even cleaner sources of energy.”

That misleading statement was pivotal in The President’s Climate Action Plan of June of 2013. Business climate would have been more appropriate. But the media are discovering that the claim fails to account for the climate impacts of methane, the main constituent of “natural” gas, over its full life-cycle.

The latter starts at the well. From there, gas is transported via pipelines and compressor stations, to its final destination downstream. Gas escapes unburned at every stage. When the global warming potential of this so-called “fugitive methane” is taken into account, it turns out that “natural” gas (both conventional and fracked) is a greater threat to the climate than coal or oil burned for any purpose. This came to light in 2011, when Cornell University researchers Anthony Ingraffea and Robert Howarth, along with actor and anti-fracking activist Mark Ruffalo, were named among Time Magazine’s 50 “People Who Matter” for performing and publicizing a study that undercut the bridge-fuel claim. In April of 2014, a recent update of the research has confirmed this finding.

Meanwhile, Rhode Island continues on its misguided path of expanding the fracked-gas infrastructure with two proposed build-outs of Spectra Energy’s compressor station in Burrillville—part of a 3-stage pipeline expansion that will ultimately send fracked gas from Pennsylvania to Canada for export overseas—and the planned construction of a new gas-fired power plant, also in Burrillville. In addition, there is a plan is for a liquefaction facility at Fields Point in Providence, RI.

In a striking instance of environmental racism, the LNG facility will be sited next to a residential, low-income community of color with numerous schools and day care centers, and several hospitals. The area also is the site of the Univar chemical facility which has a hazard radius of 14 miles, within which there are 311 schools with almost 110,000 children.

Increasingly, climate activists across the nation have mounted campaigns against fracked gas, not only because it is disastrous for the climate, but also because fracking causes wholesale destruction of communities and the environment. Indeed, the expansion of fracking and fracked-gas infrastructure across the country continues to draw people from all walks of like into defiant acts of civil disobedience.

On August 13, Curt Nordgaard and I were arrested after locking ourselves to the front gate of Spectra Energy’s fracked-gas compressor station in Burrillville, Rhode Island in a direct action organized by the group Fighting Against Natural Gas (FANG) to block construction at the site.

Nordgaard, a pediatrics resident at Boston Medical Center with no prior history of arrests, gave this explanation for his actions: “if we had legal means to stop this project, we would use them. Instead, we are forced to protect families and communities through nonviolent civil disobedience, in proportion to the severity of this threat.”

As a professor of physics at the University of Rhode Island with four grown children and six grandchildren, I am alarmed by the destruction we visit upon the Earth they shall inherit. In the spring of 2013, we founded Fossil Free Rhode Island to push for a swift transition away from fossil fuels.

Last December, I was arrested for the first time during a sit-in in U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse’s office in Providence to protest his tacit support for the pipeline expansion; with this recent arrest, I have lived up to my words at that time: “Science has shown that natural gas is more dangerous for the climate than other dirty fuels such as oil and coal. This pipeline is immoral and unjust, and we will keep taking action until this project is stopped.”

Let me correct a detail of the Providence Journal article Methane release from gas extraction seen as climate threat. The article states that compared to carbon-dioxide, methane is “20 times or more as potent in trapping heat while it lasts.” In reality, that factor is 86 times over the first 20 years after release. Considered over a 100 year time frame, methane was considered 21 times as potent as carbon dioxide, but the IPCC revised this figure to 34; the EPA still uses 21 as the global warming potential, an estimate decades out of date. (The ProJo has thus far chosen not to publish my Letter to the Editor with this correction.)

Numerous current developments, such as polar sea-ice loss, land-based ice sheet melt, and permafrost thawing, show unambiguously that the 20-year time frame is critical if we want to have a chance to avoid run-away climate change.

Meanwhile, our congressional delegation continues to recycle National Grid’s talking points in favor of more fracked-gas infrastructure. Supposedly, it is all about avoiding price spikes and choke points. Never mind that there were none of these last winter, as explained by Reuters in this article As New England freezes, natural gas stays cheap.

In all those years since Howarth was honored by Time as a “person who matters,” and in spite of his 100+ climate change speeches in the US Senate, despite countless attempts to get him up to speed, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse has been unable to absorb the fact that, as far as global warming is concerned, natural gas is worse than coal and oil. No surprise; this comes with our corrupt political system in which access exchanged for campaign contributions takes precedence over the common good. Our state government, of course, is just as much a victim of the corrupt political system we still tolerate: Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo’s Campaign Contributions From Financial Services Industry Come Under Scrutiny.

In this picture below we see access in action: Lindsey Graham, Sheldon Whitehouse tour coal-fired plant with new technology. I still try to teach my students to consult independent experts when they want to educate themselves. How quaint!

**Industry educating Tom Rice, Lindsey Graham and Sheldon Whitehouse (CBC)**

August 13, 2015May 3, 2016

Activists arrested in Burrillville for protesting gas expansion project

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Police arrested two environmental activists arrested this morning who were protesting a methane gas pipeline project in Burrillville, Rhode Island, by chaining themselves to a gate at the project site.

Peter Nightingale, a University of Rhode Island physics professor and occasional RI Future contributor, and Curt Nordgaard, a pediatrician from Massachusetts, were both arrested according to Fighting Against Natural Gas, of FANG, the grassroots group of activists who have been calling attention to the Algonquin pipeline project that would cut through northern Rhode Island.

“I’m taking action today because as a parent and a being pediatrician compels me to use any and all nonviolent means to stop this project,” said Nordgaard in a prepared statement.

Journalist Steve Ahlquist was on the scene and recorded the direct action and subsequent arrests:

This is the latest in increasingly disruptive tactics by FANG to raise awareness of the negative environmental impacts associated with continued investments in fossil fuels like methane gas, which is often captured through fracking. A tree sitter was removed from a stand by police in July and Nightingale was arrested in December for refusing to leave Senator Sheldon Whitehouse’s office because the climate change champion would not speak against the pipeline project. FANG has also held more traditional protest events.

“We will keep taking action until these projects are stopped” Nightingale said in a statement.

June 2, 2015May 3, 2016

Burrillville compressor station buildout for fracked gas exports

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A grassroots coalition, No Pipeline Expansion (NOPE), stated in a press release issued last Friday that the Department of Energy’s (DOE) approval of Pieridae’s Goldboro liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal in Nova Scotia, Canada confirms their position that natural gas from Spectra Energy’s northeast pipeline expansions will be shipped overseas.

According to the Goldboro LNG website, the Pieridae “facility is located adjacent to the Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline, a 1,400-kilometre transmission pipeline system built to transport natural gas between developments in Nova Scotia, Atlantic Canada and the northeastern United States.” The Spectra Maritimes & Northeast pipeline connects directly to the Spectra Algonquin pipeline in Beverly, MA. Exports by Spectra, assisted by the proposed Kinder Morgan greenfield pipeline and Peabody lateral, could feed most of Pieridae’s needs for gas.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved the Spectra Algonquin Incremental Market (AIM) Project, the first of three proposed Spectra expansions on the same line, on March 3, 2015. FERC’s Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity for the project insists that the gas will not be exported, but the approval of the Pieridae project and the statements by the Canadian company reveal the true reason for the huge expansion. “FERC, a Commission funded by fees from the gas and oil industry, has obviously rubber stamped a project that will negatively impact Americans to benefit foreign nations and private corporations,” said Susan Van Dolsen of NOPE. “Many of us raised the issue of export to FERC during the public comment period, but we were told that the expansion was strictly for domestic use. We knew otherwise and this proves we were right.”

Last week, citizens from many states across the country gathered to protest FERC’s rubber stamping and undemocratic processes. #FERCus protestors, as they call themselves, include residents of communities along the AIM route who demand that their health and well-being should not be sacrificed for corporate profit and foreign customers. The protestors also oppose FERC’s approval of the Cove Point LNG export facility in Maryland. Beyond Extreme Energy, qualmless organizer Jimmy Betts said: “The bullying and deceptive tactics of how fracked gas infrastructure projects, like LNG export terminals, are permitted for private profits at the expense of our planet’s water, soil, air, climate, and human and natural rights, should be reason enough to question and ultimately block these devastating fossil fuel follies.”

Support for the Five who were arrested for blocking the FERC crime scene — **Support for the five—front row left—who were arrested for blocking the FERC crime scene**

The NOPE coalition is made up of grassroots organizations in the four states along the AIM route: New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. After issuance of the FERC Certificate, the coalition filed a Request for Rehearing with FERC on April 2, 2015, raising many serious issues including impermissible segmentation, overbuilding and significant risks to health and safety of communities along the route. FERC issued a tolling order on May 1, 2015, which means the rehearing requests are in limbo. Meanwhile, Spectra Energy began moving forward with preparations to begin construction on the project, despite massive resistance from residents and opposition from many elected officials.

Of particular concern is the new 42 inch diameter high pressure segment of pipeline that is proposed to cross the Hudson River, making landfall in Cortlandt, NY adjacent to the aging Indian Point nuclear power plant and two seismic zones. Pipeline expert Rick Kuprewicz and nuclear expert Paul Blanch have called for an independent risk assessment of the siting of the pipeline next to a nuclear power facility in a densely populated area that includes the largest city in the country. They maintain that the evaluation done by the plant’s operator, Entergy, and confirmed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, was inadequate and seriously underestimated the risks.

**FERCus banner: natural gas and atomic energy, a match rubber-stamped by FERC**

Furthermore, a new lateral proposed in West Roxbury, MA, would run dangerously near to an active quarry; the City of Boston, Congressman Stephen Lynch, and other elected officials have called for a health and safety review.

The Spectra proposals, called AIM, Atlantic Bridge, and Access Northeast, would significantly increase the volume of fracked gas being transported from the Marcellus Shale through New England, and ultimately send it through the Maritimes & Northeast pipeline to the Goldboro export facility. The NOPE coalition objects to the projects for many reasons, including the risks mentioned above, as well as upstream effects on communities where fracking is occurring and the increase in fugitive methane emissions that contribute to climate change. In addition, ratepayers may bear the costs. “It is a fact that more than half of all the fracked gas moved across Connecticut will be destined for export, according to the US DOE. Yet, our State Senate just voted to force the cost of constructing and operating fracked gas pipelines onto ratepayers. In other words, the customer will pay so that energy companies can export fracked gas and make four times the profit available to them domestically,” says Martha Klein, Sierra Club Connecticut Chapter Communications Chair. NOPE is outraged that FERC is placing local communities and the global climate at risk for the benefit of foreign nations and corporate profit.

Protest at National Propaganda Radio, aka Gas Commercial Central — **FERCus Protest at National Propaganda Radio for Fracked Gas**

It has been known for a long time that natural gas was meant for export. The American Gas Reporter had a cover story in May of 2013 that by 2017 “U.S. gas imports from eastern Canada will have completely flipped to exports.” Members of our political class have been rather slow in understanding how they are being used by energy industry insiders. It took 16 U.S. Senators until February of this year to express concern about the pace at which the U.S. Department of Energy is approving natural gas exports “at the expense of households and industries that will suffer from higher natural gas and electricity prices.”

Governor Gina Raimondo, who enjoys the support of donors from Wall Street firms such as Goldman Sachs, Bain Capital and JPMorgan Chase, supports the AIM pipeline expansion project. Blanking on exports, she said in a press release of April of this year:

I am committed to moving ahead with cost-effective, regional energy infrastructure projects – including expansion of natural gas capacity – that will improve our business climate and create new opportunities for Ocean State workers.

Of course all these politicians agree that it is necessary to destroy the global climate to save the local economy.

April 2, 2015April 3, 2015

Multi-state coalition files for pipeline expansion rehearing

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Individuals, grassroots groups and towns from the four states adversely impacted by Spectra Energy’s Algonquin Incremental Market (AIM) natural gas pipeline expansion project have formed a coalition to file a Request for Rehearing after the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved the project on March 3, 2015. The coalition engaged DC attorney, Carolyn Elefant, who filed the request on April 2, 2015, asking FERC to vacate the Certificate.

If FERC rejects the request, the coalition will consider taking legal action.

Suzannah Glidden, a co-founder of Stop the Algonquin Pipeline Expansion (SAPE) in New York said: “Local, state and federal elected officials and citizens along the entire AIM route have repeatedly cited the flawed FERC review. FERC’s approval is not supported by substantial evidence. The Certificate of Approval of the AIM Project should be withdrawn.”

Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh today joined the West Roxbury delegation to announce that the City of Boston has also filed a request for a rehearing with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in regards to the West Roxbury Lateral Gas Pipeline.

After Spectra Energy submitted its application to FERC last year, groups and individuals from New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts filed to become intervenors in the FERC process. This entitles them to file a Request for Rehearing within 30 days after FERC’s issuance of a Certificate of Approval. FERC issued this certificate for the project and failed to adequately consider dangerous health and safety impacts as the pipeline and its infrastructure invade the region. For example, FERC approved siting of the 42-inch diameter, high pressure pipeline next to the Indian Point nuclear facility in a seismic zone in Buchanan, New York, and a new pipeline and Metering & Regulating station next to an active quarry in West Roxbury, Massachusetts.

Alex Beauchamp, Northeast Regional Director of Food & Water Watch, said: “In light of the serious health, safety, and environmental concerns that FERC failed to address before approving this dangerous project, the agency must grant a rehearing. Without studying the threats posed to the Indian Point nuclear facility or the human health risks from airborne contaminants, it is disgraceful that FERC has approved the AIM pipeline.”

Rickie Harvey of West Roxbury Saves Energy, Massachusetts, said: “No meaningful alternatives to a high-pressure lateral scheduled to deliver nearly 30 percent of the proposed gas via the AIM expansion were provided, despite repeated requests from citizens and politicians alike. Because this proposed West Roxbury lateral pipeline traverses a densely settled neighborhood adjacent to an active quarry, a full rehearing is warranted.”

Spectra Energy’s AIM Project, a $1 billion venture, is the first of three projects designed to ship massive quantities of “natural” gas from the Marcellus Shale to New England and onto Canada and proposed LNG export facilities. Lisa Petrie of Fossil Free Rhode Island said: “Dividing projects to minimize their environmental impacts is considered impermissible segmentation and violates the NEPA process, as FANG (Fighting Against Natural Gas) argued convincingly in a recent letter to FERC.

Emily Kirkland of the Better Future Project in Boston said: “As a climate justice organization, we have been fighting the AIM Project every step of the way, both through regulatory avenues like the request for rehearing and through grassroots organizing in communities all along the pipeline route. It’s simply irresponsible to expand the Algonquin Pipeline when we know that our continued addiction to fossil fuels is exacerbating the climate crisis and putting our safety at risk. We should be transitioning as quickly as possible to clean energy, not deepening our dependence on fossil fuels.”

The coalition of residents and groups includes: Better Future Project (MA); Capitalism v. the Climate (CT), Community Watersheds Clean Water Coalition (NY); Town of Cortlandt, NY; Food & Water Watch; Fossil Free Rhode Island; Keep Yorktown Safe; City of Peekskill, NY; Sierra Club Lower Hudson Group; Stop the Algonquin Pipeline Expansion (NY); W. Roxbury Saves Energy (WRSE) and impacted residents of W. Roxbury and Dedham, MA.

March 5, 2015May 3, 2016

Activists march 28 miles from Burrillville to PVD to protest fracked gas pipeline

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Burrillville, RI — On Wednesday a group of activists embarked on a three day, 28 mile march from Burrillville to Providence to raise awareness about the proposed expansion to the ‘Algonquin’ natural gas pipeline. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued an initial construction permit for the project on Tuesday, but opponents of the project have vowed to keep up the fight.

The march kicked off at the site of a gas compressor station on Wallum Lake road in Burrillville. The compressor station, which pressurizes gas along the 1,000 mile pipeline, would nearly double in capacity as part of the expansion sought by Spectra Energy. Activists are concerned about the climate change implications of the project, and the impacts that local residents living near the pipeline route would face.

“The compressor station expansion in Burrillville alone would add the equivalent greenhouse gas emissions of 14,000 cars a year and substantially increase the pollutants pumped into the air this community breathes. This pipeline expansion must be stopped,” said Pia Ward, a member of FANG (Fighting Against Natural Gas), the group that organized the march.

Fellow FANG member Nick Katkevich said the goal of the march was to carry the voices of those most impacted by the Spectra expansion to decision makers in Providence. “It’s time Rhode Island’s elected leaders listen to the voices of those living along this pipeline route rather than fuel executives who are focused solely on profit.”

The group will march about eight miles a day and will travel south through Pascoag and then head towards Providence on Route 44. The march will make stops in Chepachet and Greenville before arriving in Providence Friday afternoon where several events and actions are planned.

Among the marchers are several Rhode Island residents along with activists from Massachusetts, Connecticut and from as far away as New York and Nebraska.
Jimmy Betts of Omaha, Nebraska, has joined the march. Jimmy walked across the country in 2014 for climate action. “Burrillville is not alone in the fight for clean air, water, and community sovereignty. We must broaden the conversation with other communities engaged in these struggles. They may appear local, but they have sweeping global impacts. We can only win this together.”

Members of the community are encouraged to walk a day, an hour, or even a few blocks as they are able. It is recommended to dress warmly. Vehicles will be available for those unable to walk, or who cannot walk long distances. Supporters can also join the marchers upon their arrival in Providence by meeting at 2pm outside of the State House.

Both National Grid and the Rhode Island congressional delegation have argued that the pipeline expansion is necessary to suppress gas price spikes during winter months, but as the region suffers through the coldest weather in nearly a century, gas prices have remained steady. Organizers of the march point to liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminals proposed for Maine and Canada as the real reason behind the pipeline expansion.

“This pipeline expansion isn’t about lowering domestic prices, it’s about a fossil fuel corporation trying to make the most profit possible – all while hurting communities, contributing to global climate change and blocking the development of cleaner energy sources” reflected Ward.

March 2, 2015March 2, 2015

Climate activists disrupt Whitehouse speech at Yale

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Often called a “climate champion” by his defenders, Rhode Island’s Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse faced criticism in New Haven, Connecticut on Saturday for his strong support of fracked methane gas.

During Whitehouse’s keynote address at Yale University’s “New Directions in Environmental Law” conference, members of the Connecticut-based climate justice collective Capitalism vs. the Climate interrupted Whitehouse with an action they called a “laugh riot.”

Each time the Senator suggested he was a climate champion, the demonstrators roared with hearty laughter.

“It’s a joke that Senator Whitehouse is an environmentalist,” said a protester when asked by an audience member what they found so funny. “He needs to stop supporting Spectra’s fracked gas pipeline expansion. He’s not a climate champion. He’s a climate clown.”

Activists then walked to the stage and held a banner reading “Fracked Gas Kills” in front of the Senator. Asked to leave by police, the protesters left the auditorium chanting, “Hey hey, ho ho, ha ha, ha ha!”

Apparently, after Yale campus police had cleared the room of laughing rioters, Senator Whitehouse joked that he was glad that open debate was alive and well at Yale. Police-moderated debate in the time of free speech zones! There you have it.

Prior to the senator’s speech, about 30 demonstrators from 350-Connecticut and Capitalism vs. the Climate protested outside the conference in opposition to his support of fracking. Capitalism vs the Climate quoted several examples illustrate Senator Whitehouse’s record as a fracking champion:

Spectra Energy’s website lists Senator Whitehouse as a supporter of their so-called “Algonquin” pipeline expansion in the Northeast states.
Senator Whitehouse praised fracking as a “blessing” in a 2014 interview: “I think it’s been an economic and environmental blessing to have gas as a bridge.”
Senator Whitehouse’s third largest campaign contributor in 2012 was Goldberg, Lindsay & Co., an investment firm that owns several natural gas distribution and pipeline companies. Goldberg, Lindsay & Co. also contributed $20,000 to the Senator’s “OCEANSPAC” that distributes money to candidates who support “ocean and environmental issues.”

Indeed, Senator Whitehouse —in the dedicated company of the other environmentalists of our congressional delegation— has consistently supported fracked gas a bridge fuel.

Early in January, I wrote to Lynsey Gaudioso, the `New Directions’ conference chair, to convey my dismay that Senator Whitehouse would be an honoree and keynote speaker at the conference. Not that I ever received a reply, or expected to, but one of my arguments was:

A plaintiff in one of the suits brought by Our Children’s Trust sued the federal government “for making decisions that threaten our right to a safe and healthy planet.” This right is enshrined in public trust law and demands that government act as a trustee in the management of essential natural assets. Building more fossil fuel infrastructure will delay developing a green power sector, while fracked gas has a larger greenhouse gas footprint than coal and oil. In other words, the policies Senator Whitehouse supports clash with his duty to protect the common good.

Regarding this last point, Bill Moyers recently interviewed Mary Christina Wood. She argued that it is the responsibility of government to hold in trust the health of earth’s environment for present and future generations:

If this nation relies on a stable climate system, and the very habitability of this nation and all of the liberties of young people and their survival interests are at stake, the courts need to force the agencies and the legislatures to simply do their job.

Instead, our legislators support policies that are manifestly inconsistent with their fiduciary duties as trustees of Nature’s Trust. In addition, the executive is in bed with the “stakeholders” it should be overseeing. As a case in point, just think of the agency whose “oversight” was responsible of BP’s Deepwater Horizon disaster. Yes, that’s the famous Mineral Management Service of an ethics scandal, involving sex, drugs and graft. Finally, we have a complicit judiciary that fails to enforce the general requirement that legislative trustees avoid impropriety and the appearance of impropriety.

Oh, oops, I forgot; a $20,000 donation is free speech!

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