PROVIDENCE – Four of the governor’s political appointees rather than the R.I. Public Utilities Commission could approve a wind farm off the coast of Block Island if a bill introduced Wednesday in the General Assembly becomes law.
The Senate bill would give the heads of the R.I. Office of Energy Resources, the R.I. Economic Development Corporation and the R.I. Department of Administration the authority to sign off on a power-purchase agreement between National Grid Plc and offshore wind developer Deepwater Wind LLC. The R.I. Division of Public Utilities and Carriers’ administrator would also need to sign off.
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That power is now in the hands of the PUC, which in March rejected a contract between the two companies, saying the price of electricity from the wind farm would be too high. The law that established the process allowed no mechanism to appeal the PUC decision.
The PUC’s decision was sharply criticized by Gov. Donald L. Carcieri, who had been pushing the three commissioners – all of whom he either appointed or reappointed – on the issue for more than a year. A spokeswoman for Carcieri was not immediately available for comment on the bill.
The bill introduced Wednesday (S 2819) says the General Assembly finds it “in the public interest” to facilitate the development of a wind farm off the coast of Block Island. The farm proposed by Deepwater Wind would include up to eight turbines as well as a transmission cable linking the island to the mainland electricity grid.
Proponents of the farm say it could be the first offshore wind farm in the nation and jump start the green economy in the Ocean State. Opponents called the price – proposed at 24.4 cents a kilowatt-hour in the first year – too high when compared with mainland prices that are less than half that amount.
The Senate bill would allow National Grid to sign a 20-year power-purchase agreement provided that the four officials sign off, and that 24.4 cents a kilowatt-hour be the maximum initial price.
Members of the public would have 15 days to comment, but no hearings on the issue would be required. There would be no appeals process.
The bill was introduced by Sen. V. Susan Sosnowski, D-South Kingstown, who also represents Block Island, along with Sens. Joshua Miller, D-Cranston, Walter S. Felag Jr., D-Bristol, Dominick J. Ruggerio, D-Providence, and Michael J. McCaffrey, D-Warwick.
The bill was introduced on the same day that the federal government approved Cape Wind, the 130-turbine wind farm off the coast of Cape Cod after more than seven years in the permitting process.
