Fracked Gas coming to Northwestern Rhode Island – Learn the Facts

 17776404ELearn the Facts – Public Forums on the fracked gas-fired power plant in northwestern Rhode Island

If built, the proposed fracked gas-fired power plant in northwestern Rhode Island will be the largest fracked gas-fired power plant in New England impacting over 67 acres for the power plant and another 200 acres of forested land and wetlands for the transmission lines, waste water, gas and cooling water pipelines in Northwestern Rhode Island. The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management and other conservation organizations have referred to the site of the proposed power plant as “too good to lose”. Yet, both the Governor of Rhode Island and the director of RIDEM support building the power plant.

Every day of operation, nearly 3.2 million tons of CO2 and other greenhouse gases from the proposed power plant will be released into the atmosphere covering a thirty-one mile radius impacting most of Rhode Island and releasing greater than normal EPA emissions levels to the towns of Burrillville, North Smithfield, Woonsocket and Glocester as well as Douglas, Webster and Uxbridge, MA and Putnam and Thompson, CT. The greenhouse gas emissions from this one power plant, according to J. Timmons Roberts – Ittleson Professor of Environmental Studies and Sociology at Brown University will, in his words, “…make it impossible for Rhode Island to meet the carbon-emission reduction targets” of the Resilient Rhode Island Act.

The Burrillville Land Trust along with the Rhode Island Association of Conservation Commissions is holding interactive public forums addressing the many issues regarding the proposed power plant in the northwest corner of Rhode Island.

The power plant comes at a time when New England and the US (through the Paris Climate Change Conference) is moving away from fossil fuels and towards renewable resources and energy efficiency. This power plant will lock Rhode Island into an antiquated fossil fuel economy for the next 50 years.

The power plant became a statewide issue owing to the support of Gina Raimondo, Governor of Rhode Island. While the proposed power plant would be built in northwest Rhode Island, the impact will be region wide. “The concept that the opposition to this power plant is one of ‘not in my backyard’ faded away long ago as the Resilient Rhode Island Act became law for the entire state,” so says Paul Roselli, president of the Burrillville Land Trust. “The Paris Climate Change Conference elevated the RI Act from a state level to a regional and global issue. Increased greenhouse gas emissions know no boundary,” Roselli said.

To date, the land trust and the conservation commission association has conducted nearly 30 public forums since February, 2016. This pubic forum gives attendees an opportunity to learn some of the facts about the proposed power plant. While both organizations are interested in land preservation and increasing the health and protection of all species, the public forums provide factual information so the audience can decide for themselves what is best for their town and for their state.

Burrillville Land Trust president, Paul A. Roselli gives the presentation along with invited experts in biology, water and air quality and more. Invenergy’s proposal to build in northwestern Rhode Island would be the largest fracked gas/diesel oil fired power plant in New England. Learn how and why this project would impact all Rhode Island. Contact: (401) 447-1560 for more information. The public is invited.

The Burrillville Land Trust is a private non-profit 501(c)(3) land trust in the Town of Burrillville. Out mission is to preserve and protect the rural character of the Town of Burrillville. We are not connected with the municipal government of the Town of Burrillville but have had a good working relationship with the Town since the land trust began in 1999.