Raimondo holds hearing on disputed power plant

BURRILLVILLE – Gov. Gina M. Raimondo walked a fine line between saying she cared about the health and well-being of local residents and her support for natural-gas infrastructure and a new power plant.

During the more than two-hour hearing July 18 at Burrillville High School, Raimondo steered clear of her previously stated hardline support for the nearly 1,000-megawatt Clear River Energy Center, saying only that she recognizes the need for natural-gas power and that the fossil fuel is a “piece of the puzzle” needed to meet energy demand, ecoRI News reported.

The governor also stated her support for moving “as fast as possible” to renewable energy but that she lacked authority to approve or deny what would be the state’s largest power plant and the second in Burrillville. The application should follow the yearlong process established by the state Energy Facilities Siting Board, she said.

While not presenting evidence that the power plant would lower energy costs for Rhode Island businesses and residents, Raimondo repeated that point in justifying the project.

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Paul Roselli, president of the Burrillville Land Trust, asked Raimondo to explain an apparent conflict of interest with investment bank Goldman Sachs, which has given money to state economic initiatives and, Roselli claimed, is a likely investor in the proposed power plant. He also accused the governor of issuing a gag order for state employees, including scientists, on speaking publicly about the proposed power plant. •

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