Top 12 FACTS why you should oppose the fracked gas power plant proposed for the middle of the woods in the northwestern part of Rhode Island

1. The Clear River Energy Center – (the Invenergy project) will destroy nearly 220 forested acres in northwestern Rhode Island and use 15,000 to over 700,000 gallons of water per day from the Scituate Reservoir – 60% of RI gets their water from the Scituate Reservoir.;
2. This one power plant will make it impossible for Rhode Island to meet the carbon emission reduction targets of the Resilient Rhode Island Act;
3. Every Rhode Island environmental group has stated its opposition to the Invenergy project including the Rhode Island Chapter of The Nature Conservancy and Save the Bay;
4. As of January 1, 2019, 35 cities and towns have approved resolutions in opposition to the Invenergy project and have sent those resolutions to the Rhode Island Energy Facility Siting Board and to the Governor of Rhode Island. Nearly 100 organizations in RI, Connecticut and Massachusetts have written letters in opposition to the power plant;
5. According to Invenergy’s own energy expert Mr. Seth Parker at a PUC hearing on August 2016, ratepayer savings will be from 1% to 4% and are not “guaranteed” according to Parker. Since August 2016, Invenergy’s ratepayer savings have gone down to 0% with ratepayers paying for transmission and distribution costs if the power plant gets built;
6. Cooling and process water will be trucked in from the Town of Johnston. 15,000 to over 700,000 gallons of water per day. Upwards of 516 trucks or 1032 trips per 30 days will travel along Rhode Island roads using I-295, RT 44, RT 102 and East Wallum Lake Road delivering water, oil, ammonia, hydrogen and hauling away toxic waste to a Worcester rail line to an Ohio toxic waste dump;
7. Voters in every Rhode Island city and town have overwhelmingly approved open space, recreational and agricultural bond referendums since 1960. During national elections from 2004 to 2018, RI votes, on average, over 71% in favor of Open Space Bond Referendums. This power plant is located in the middle of 27,000 acres of protected land paid for by RI voters. The Burrillville Land Trust benefits from RI voters approval of these referendums. Our investment is at stake if this power plant is built;
8. Momentum moving towards renewables continues to flourish. Opposing the Invenergy project is an opportunity to keep that momentum going;
9. New England environmental groups have designated key areas surrounding and including the land in the Invenergy project as Natural Heritage Areas. These are high biodiversity areas that contain hundreds of species. The proposed Invenergy project site was rejected in 1988 by FERC for another power plant because of the biodiversity in this area;
10. This one power plant will release over 3,626,000 tons of CO2 each year, 335 tons of acid rain chemicals per year. Prevailing winds will move these materials throughout Rhode Island and nearby Connecticut and Massachusetts;
11. This one power plan will make it impossible to meet RGGI reductions to cap and reduce CO₂ emissions from the power sector. Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiatives compliance obligations apply to fossil-fueled power plants 25MW and larger within the nine-state region; and,
12. The Invenergy project locks Rhode Island and the region into a fossil fuel future for the next 40 years.