Entire Aquidneck Island delegation opposes planned expansion of fracked gas

The entirety of the Aquidneck Island delegation to the Rhode Island General Assembly sent a letter to National Grid advocating for the non-infrastructure solution to the island’s fracked gas capacity issues. In the letter, Senators Dawn Euer, Louis DiPalma and James Seveney, and Representatives Lauren Carson, Terri Cortvriend, Susan Donovan, Marvin Abney and Deborah Ruggiero argue that the future of development on Aquidneck Island does not depend on the expansion of fracked gas infrastructure.

“Aquidneck Island municipalities can continue their development plans without increasing reliance on gas. New buildings can easily be designed to meet their energy needs with a combination of efficiency measures and modern green technologies,” write the legislators, adding, “Weatherization and electrification are far more cost-effective solutions for ratepayers than an expansion of gas infrastructure.“

In a report, National Grid had identified a future gas capacity issue, based on their projection of fracked gas demand on the island and provided a cost analysis of various options to address this demand. The most expensive option, according to National Grid, was to reduce dependency on fossil fuel through a process of electrification of heating and weatherization of homes. Environmentalists in Rhode Island cried foul, pointing out that National Grid had failed to account for the economic benefits of reducing the use of fossil fuels. The company had seemingly produced the report based on their bottom line, not on the health and safety of the communities they purportedly serve.

“National Grid should be working with customers to reduce gas demand in our communities,” write the legislators. “Gas and associated infrastructure have well-documented safety and health concerns. Combustion and methane leaks will continue to contribute to local safety risks, air pollution, and climate change for decades. Even “decarbonized fuels” like renewable natural gas or hydrogen substitutes carry the same risks to public health and safety as geological natural gas. In sum – the continued use of these fuels compromises the health and safety of residents; expanding the infrastructure for their continued use will be a cost passed on to ratepayers at a time when so many are struggling.“

Recently, National Grid was granted an exception to oversight by the Energy Facilities Siting Board (EFSB) for the erection of temporary fracked gas facilities to deal with the capacity issues caused by the companies own negligence. The legislators were adamant that any future expansion of fracked gas infrastructure on Aquidneck Island must be brought before and approved by the EFSB, writing, that the EFSB “is the proper regulatory authority to vet National Grid’s proposals to ensure a proper balance between the consumer costs, adverse environmental impacts, health and safety of Rhode Island’s citizens, and demonstrated need of the facility to meet the energy needs of the community.”

Aquidneck Island legislators urge residents to comment on National Grid natural gas study

Sen. Dawn Euer, Rep. Lauren H. Carson, Rep. Terri Cortvriend and Rep. Susan R. Donovan are urging Aquidneck Island residents to submit comments on National Grid’s study of the island’s natural gas infrastructure.

National Grid – the sole utility providing gas service to the island – produced the study in response to the January 2019 outage that left thousands without heat on the island for days during frigid cold. The cause of that outage was identified last year as a confluence of spiking demand, the failure of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility in Providence and a distant malfunction in a transmission line in Massachusetts.

In the report, National Grid contends that without significant infrastructure investments on Aquidneck Island, the communities there remain prone to similar failures in the future. The report outlines several options, including building a second pipeline to the island, maintaining the existing portable backup LNG facility in Portsmouth, building a new backup facility either on the island Navy base or on a barge offshore, or reducing demand though efforts through more vigorous energy efficiency efforts. 

The four legislators, along with Sen. Louis P. DiPalma (D-Dist. 12, Middletown ,Newport, Tiverton Little Compton), Sen. James A. Seveney (D-Dist. 11, Portsmouth, Bristol, Tiverton), Rep. Marvin L. Abney (D-Dist. 73, Newport, Middletown) and Rep. Deborah Ruggiero (D-Dist. 74, Jamestown, Middletown), sent a joint letter responding to the report on Nov. 25.

In the letter, they note that the risk of an outage similar to the 2019 one is now reduced, since the system vulnerabilities identified as its causes, were addressed. Instead of spending more on infrastructure for carbon-producing natural gas, they strongly urge National Grid to concentrate resources on energy efficiency to reduce demand.

“The long-term interests of Aquidneck Island’s communities will be best served by an aggressive transition away from fossil fuels that will allow the state to meet its carbon reduction targets. This would dually protect the residents of Aquidneck Island from the public health and safety risks associated with both climate change impacts as well as gas,” they wrote. “Rather than focusing on expanding yesterday’s technology, we need to continue to make progress toward decarbonization by expanding energy efficiency programs [and] electrification, implementing a demand response system, and exploring opportunities for other green technology innovations such as geothermal micro districts to reduce demand.”

The island legislators acknowledge that such improvements may take time, and said that if more capacity is needed meanwhile, they favor the option of a temporary facility at the Navy base. They also asserted that any expansion must be subject to the oversight of the Energy Facility Siting Board.

Senator Euer (D-Dist. 13, Newport, Jamestown), Representative Carson (D-Dist. 75, Newport), Representative Cortvriend (D-Dist. 72, Portsmouth, Middletown) and Representative Donovan (D-Dist. 69, Bristol, Portsmouth) encourage all Aquidneck Islanders to weigh in with their own sentiments.

“National Grid needs to hear from the people who are going to be affected by its equipment and service on our island. We are not only ratepayers, but our health, our safety and our environment are all directly affected by the direction National Grid takes. If they double down on fossil fuels, that is our future. But we view this as an opportunity to choose investments that steer our island toward a greener, more sustainable future, and we urge our neighbors to join us in that call,” they said.

To read the report and submit your own comments, visit https://www.nationalgridus.com/aquidneck-long-term-gas-capacity-study.

National Grid had initially set a deadline of Dec. 1 for public comment on the report, but has agreed to keep the comment period open longer. Senator Euer and Representatives Carson, Cortvriend and Donovan urge constituents to submit their comments as soon as possible.