Sierra Club mobilizes to prevent veto of Keable/Fogarty power plant bill

The Rhode Island Chapter of the Sierra Club has sent an email to their subscribers asking them to call Governor Gina Raimondo and urge her not to veto the Keable/Fogarty bill that will allow Burrillville voters to vote on any tax agreements their Town Council makes with Invenergy for the proposed fracked gas and diesel oil burning power plant in Pascoag.

The Sierra Club has “made it our top priority to fight the proposed billion dollar fracked gas and oil power plant that a major corporation wants to build in the beautiful town of Burrillville, Rhode Island.”

Here’s the good news: there is legislation making its way through the General Assembly that could stop this insane new plant. In fact, a bill by Rep. Keable and Sen. Fogarty that would give the town of Burrillville the authority to hold a local referendum on the proposal is looking likely to pass both the House and the Senate!

Now here’s the bad news: Governor Raimondo is a big supporter of the power plant, and she has threatened to veto this legislation.

The email goes on to say, “Make no mistake, a veto by the governor would be a betrayal of everyone who cares about our planet, and of future generations of Rhode Islanders. It would represent a suicidal double-down on the dangerous fossil fuel economy that has taken our climate to the brink and that promises so much more destruction in coming years.”

The email conatins a handy button to contact the Governor, reproduced here:

You can also reach her office can be reach by phone at (401) 222-2080, by email at governor@governor.ri.gov, and online here. The Sierra Club asks that callers please repeat this message, as loud and clear as you can:

Governor, I urge you to stand by your campaign commitment to fight climate change. Please do not veto the Keable/Fogarty legislation to give local voters a say in this massive new fossil fuel investment. This decision will define your environmental legacy – I hope you make the right choice, for the sake of our children, grandchildren, and all future generations of Rhode Islanders.

Representative Aaron Regunberg, a co-sponsor of the bill in the House, echoed the Sierra Club ask but also wrote in an email to his constituents that,

“There are a lot of good people in the building trades who support this proposal, and I feel for them – they need work, and they see this project as their best chance to support their families. That’s why I also commit to fighting – just as hard – for a renewable energy agenda that will create good, family-supporting jobs for folks who need them. We know it’s possible, and I’m ready for the fight.”