Governor Lincoln Chafee and DEM Director Janet Coit: Convene an Open Public Hearing about the Burrillville Gas Compressor Station
Governor Lincoln Chafee and DEM Director Janet Coit: Convene an Open Public Hearing about the Burrillville Gas Compressor Station
The Issue
"A PUBLIC HEARING IS REQUIRED, WHEN THE STAKES ARE SO HIGH"
A "MINOR" THREAT OF TOXIC EXPLOSIONS? The Spectra Energy Partners pipeline expansion, off Wallum Lake Road in Burrillville, would allow a $26 billion, Texas-based company to pump 330 million cubic feet of gas *per day*, sending explosive, toxic, greenhouse methane under high pressure, from fracking wells in Pennsylvania to LNG terminals in Canada. To many people this seems like a bad idea, risking northern Rhode Island's forests and homes, roads, rivers, and farms—and the project should be scrapped now, before it's too late. To others the idea sounds reasonable in light of New England's energy needs, or the national interest—and should be approved quickly. Which side are you on?
Unfortunately, neither side will get a fair and open hearing, because the state Department of Environmental Management has defined Spectra's proposed new compressor in Burrillville as a "minor" permit revision. Because of DEM's "minor revision" ruling—despite the fact the new gas compressor will be as powerful as 35 screaming Corvette Stingrays, running 460hp V-8 engines flat out, redlining 24 hours a day!—DEM has no plans to hold public hearings. This means DEM will not hear testimony about methane leakage from high-pressure pipelines, about toxic impurities in fracking-gas, nor about Spectra's poor emergency response to explosions and accidents, elsewhere along its 22,000 miles of oil, gas, and chemical pipelines.
But maybe we have a chance. With your help, maybe we can convince DEM to give Rhode Islanders an official, public opportunity to hear details of the plan, then give testimony on the adequacy of Spectra's design, and whether toxic, explosive, greenhouse gas pipelines are in Burrillville's and Rhode Island's best interest.
Look, even if you're not sure, and hope that we'll actually *get* some of this gas, or that high-pressure pipelines *can* be completely safe, don't you agree that all Rhode Islanders deserve an opportunity to be heard? When the stakes are this high for Burrillville, for Rhode Island, and for global warming, a public hearing is not optional; it's the least we deserve before Rhode Island citizens, and National Grid ratepayers, are forced to bear this project's environmental and health risks, and its entire financial cost.
YOU CAN HELP! Go ahead and complete this online petition to Governor Chafee, DEM Director Janet Coit, and Air Quality Chief Doug McVay, and then, please send a direct email to McVay <doug.mcvay@dem.ri.gov>, to let him know you AGREE:
"A PUBLIC HEARING IS REQUIRED, WHEN THE STAKES ARE SO HIGH"
The Burrillville Compressor Station Air Permit File (2014)
c/o Doug McVay
Chief, Office of Air Resources
Department of Environmental Management
235 Promenade Street
Providence, RI 02908-5767
(401) 222-2808
fax 222-2017
The Issue
"A PUBLIC HEARING IS REQUIRED, WHEN THE STAKES ARE SO HIGH"
A "MINOR" THREAT OF TOXIC EXPLOSIONS? The Spectra Energy Partners pipeline expansion, off Wallum Lake Road in Burrillville, would allow a $26 billion, Texas-based company to pump 330 million cubic feet of gas *per day*, sending explosive, toxic, greenhouse methane under high pressure, from fracking wells in Pennsylvania to LNG terminals in Canada. To many people this seems like a bad idea, risking northern Rhode Island's forests and homes, roads, rivers, and farms—and the project should be scrapped now, before it's too late. To others the idea sounds reasonable in light of New England's energy needs, or the national interest—and should be approved quickly. Which side are you on?
Unfortunately, neither side will get a fair and open hearing, because the state Department of Environmental Management has defined Spectra's proposed new compressor in Burrillville as a "minor" permit revision. Because of DEM's "minor revision" ruling—despite the fact the new gas compressor will be as powerful as 35 screaming Corvette Stingrays, running 460hp V-8 engines flat out, redlining 24 hours a day!—DEM has no plans to hold public hearings. This means DEM will not hear testimony about methane leakage from high-pressure pipelines, about toxic impurities in fracking-gas, nor about Spectra's poor emergency response to explosions and accidents, elsewhere along its 22,000 miles of oil, gas, and chemical pipelines.
But maybe we have a chance. With your help, maybe we can convince DEM to give Rhode Islanders an official, public opportunity to hear details of the plan, then give testimony on the adequacy of Spectra's design, and whether toxic, explosive, greenhouse gas pipelines are in Burrillville's and Rhode Island's best interest.
Look, even if you're not sure, and hope that we'll actually *get* some of this gas, or that high-pressure pipelines *can* be completely safe, don't you agree that all Rhode Islanders deserve an opportunity to be heard? When the stakes are this high for Burrillville, for Rhode Island, and for global warming, a public hearing is not optional; it's the least we deserve before Rhode Island citizens, and National Grid ratepayers, are forced to bear this project's environmental and health risks, and its entire financial cost.
YOU CAN HELP! Go ahead and complete this online petition to Governor Chafee, DEM Director Janet Coit, and Air Quality Chief Doug McVay, and then, please send a direct email to McVay <doug.mcvay@dem.ri.gov>, to let him know you AGREE:
"A PUBLIC HEARING IS REQUIRED, WHEN THE STAKES ARE SO HIGH"
The Burrillville Compressor Station Air Permit File (2014)
c/o Doug McVay
Chief, Office of Air Resources
Department of Environmental Management
235 Promenade Street
Providence, RI 02908-5767
(401) 222-2808
fax 222-2017
Petition Closed
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The Decision Makers
Petition created on July 4, 2014