Fall River City Council condemns water deal with Invenergy, opposes plant construction
On Tuesday the Fall River City Council voted unanimously to support two resolutions: The first resolution opposes the siting of Invenergy‘s proposed $1 billion fracked gas and diesel oil burning power plant aimed at the pristine forests of northwest Rhode Island and condemns the deal made between Benn Water and Heavy Transport and the Watuppa Water Board. The second resolution
May 16, 2018, 4:56 pm
By Steve Ahlquist
On Tuesday the Fall River City Council voted unanimously to support two resolutions:
- The first resolution opposes the siting of Invenergy‘s proposed $1 billion fracked gas and diesel oil burning power plant aimed at the pristine forests of northwest Rhode Island and condemns the deal made between Benn Water and Heavy Transport and the Watuppa Water Board.
- The second resolution opposes the renewal of the water contract between Benn Water and Heavy Transport and the Watuppa Water Board when the contract requires renewal.
“We appreciate the Fall River Council’s careful consideration of the proposed Invenergy power plant and applaud its decision to join dozens of other communities in opposing the plant,” said Burrillville Town Manager Michael Wood. “The City Council resolution opposing the renewal of the Watuppa Water Board contract again illustrates that Invenergy is not ready for prime time with what is now its sixth proposed water plan in jeopardy. Burrillville town leaders and community advocates have championed the effort in Fall River and we thank the Fall River City Council for keeping an open mind on the issue, and its independent, thoughtful conclusion to oppose the plant and the water contract.”
The news that Fall River had become a contingent water supplier to Invenergy was broken by this reporter, here. Since then there have been protests and many meetings of the Fall River City Council examining the issue.
“The vote by the Fall River City Council shows a lot of courage and determination,” said Paul Roselli, who has been active in opposing Invenergy’s proposed power plant for years as president of the Burrillville Land Trust and is now a Democratic candidate for Governor of Rhode Island. “They stuck with this right from the start. They saw that the water deal was wrong. They showed that they could take this on as a city council and come to a decision. We’re happy both for the resolution and the vote on the water contract.”
36 Cities and Towns in Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut now are standing in opposition to the proposed Invenergy plant.
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