PROVIDENCE – John Farley, the longtime executive director of The Energy Council of Rhode Island, is leaving to become pastor of a Florida church.
Farley, 49, told Providence Business News on Monday that he would step down from the director position he has held since 2005 sometime in the next few weeks. The council’s eight-member board of directors is working on a succession plan. Farley said he expects the board to name his successor next month.
Beyond Cash Donations: How New Forms of Giving Are Transforming Not-for-Profit Accounting
Evolving Funding Landscape for Not-for-Profits Not-for-profit organizations are being asked to do more with less,…
Learn More
TEC-RI’s members currently include about 35 of the largest energy users in the state, Farley said, among them Brown University, Hasbro Inc. and Rhode Island Hospital. It lobbies on their behalf before the General Assembly and the R.I. Public Utilities Commission.
Farley, an ordained pastor, will lead the Lighthouse Bible Church in southern Florida. “The Lord Jesus Christ is No. 1 commander, so when he gives me the marching orders I obey,” he said.
Farley, a Rhode Island native and Providence College graduate, said it would be an adjustment for him and his family to move to Florida from the Northeast, but he is looking forward to leading a congregation for the first time after serving as an assistant pastor in the past.
At TEC-RI, Farley led the council as it opposed the proposed wind farm off the coast of Block Island and a National Grid Plc plan to decouple electric rates from the amount of electricity the utility sells. In both cases, the council said the plans would lead to higher electricity prices for some of the state’s largest employers.
When the PUC rejected a contract between Deepwater Wind LLC and National Grid that would have allowed the wind farm to move forward, the commissioners specifically cited TEC-RI in making the case that the contract would harm large employers. The General Assembly is now considering legislation that would reverse the PUC decision.
The PUC also rejected National Grid’s decoupling proposal, but last week Gov. Donald L. Carcieri signed legislation overriding the PUC.
Additional information is available at tecri.org.
