Power plant protest held outside Governor Raimondo's home
On Thursday night, protesters gathered outside of Governor Gina Raimondo’s home in Providence for a vigil against the proposed Invenergy power plant in Burrillville and the National Grid natural gas liquefaction facility in Providence. The protest was organized by local activist groups Burrillville BASE, the No...
On Thursday night, protesters gathered outside of Governor Gina Raimondo’s home in Providence for a vigil against the proposed Invenergy power plant in Burrillville and the National Grid natural gas liquefaction facility in Providence. The protest was organized by local activist groups Burrillville BASE, the No LNG in PVD Coalition and the FANG Collective. Protesters held LED candles and signs with sayings including “Wake up Gina” and “Save Burrillville.”
Nick Katkevich, an organizer for FANG, called on the governor to vocally oppose the proposed plants. “She now knows how bad these projects are–the power plant and the LNG facility–not just in regards to their impacts on the climate, but their impacts on the health of Rhode Islanders. It’s known that these projects would cause harm and hurt people.”
Thursday night’s protest was part of activists’ lobbying efforts over the past two years to halt the expansion of fossil fuel plants in Rhode Island. Last summer, demonstrators marched for three days from Providence to Burrillville to protest power plant construction there. Last week, activists, state senators, representatives, and Providence City Council members sent a letter to Governor Raimondo encouraging her to oppose building the LNG plant in Providence. They detailed concerns over the plant’s safety measures, and wrote that a new fossil fuel facility in Providence is “incompatible with the Governor’s and the State of Rhode Island’s stated goals of climate mitigation, adaptation, and resiliency.”
Governor Raimondo has taken actions on climate change in Rhode Island – she reaffirmed the state’s commitment to the Paris Climate Agreement in June and signed legislation in August to promote renewable energy. However, Katkevich noted that “it’s time for her to oppose both of these fossil fuel projects,” especially as both currently await regulatory approval.