Stop East Bay Energy Consortium Bill
East Bay Energy Consortium Act must be stopped before it creates another quasi-governmental agency with too much power, including eminent domain.
Marina Peterson of the East Bay Patriots Citizen Watch Committee.
Photos (1)
Photos
The East Bay Energy Consortium, given a grant by the Economic Development Corporation two years ago, was originally envisioning a $75 million project to develop alternative energy – wind turbines in East Bay communities and selling that energy to National Grid.
What has emerged is a bill that creates a quasi-government entity granting unleashed powers to appointees or unelected officials that are a fatal blow to private property rights.
Over the past two months, town councils in the East Bay have passed resolutions supporting the East Bay Energy Consortium Act, apparently with no regard for the fact that they are putting their constituents property in harms way due to the power of eminent domain that is included in the bill.
Once this act is in place it has absolutely NO oversight. No regulating rates by the Public Utilities Commission, no reporting to the General Assembly, no elected officials to vote out if you don't like it.
It cannot be altered or dissolved or impacted by any legislation until all bonds are paid off, regardless of the timeline. What do we end up with? A quasi-governmental organization that can pay its people whatever they want, offer a benefit package that has no accordance with private industry, can easily cover their expenditures because they can charge National Grid any rate they desire, and the ratepayers will absorb the cost.
You must look at this and decipher for yourself if you think your town council members have your best interest at heart. Putting your personal property at risk is egregious!
The Senate bill is S2870 and is sponsored by Senator DiPalma. The House bill is H7592 and is sponsored by Representatives Gallison, Malik, Morrison, Edwards, and Handy.
Representative Malik has since withdrawn his support and is urging his town council to withdraw their support.
This is a project for the private sector. Contact your town council members and tell them that you want this re-addressed! It's not too late!
Marina Peterson, Bristol, East Bay Patriots
Bear401
5:28 pm on Tuesday, May 8, 2012
The only way to effectively deal with this kind of corruption & cronyism is to vote these people out of office at the next opportunity. Remember this is not a true democracy. It's a representative democracy & these people certainly don't represent any of us.
Bristol County Anonymous
7:35 pm on Tuesday, May 8, 2012
EBEC's lawyer lobbyists are pressuring the legislature into creating this undesirable entity.
Our tax money should not be wasted in this manner.
Excerpt from March 5, 2012 EBEC minutes:
http://sos.ri.gov/documents/publicinfo/omdocs/minutes/5706/2012/26241.pdf
"(Tom) Moses (EBEC lawyer) reported that he has met with the Speaker of the House, and
Mr. Fox directed Moses to meet with John Flynn, Chief Counsel to the
Speaker."
"Moses directed that any EBEC members speaking with
the legislature register with the State as lobbyists for EBEC. He noted
that he and firm partner Mark Ryan have registered as lobbyists
representing EBEC interests. Forster instructed that a web-form on
the Secretary of State’s website would allow EBEC members to
register as lobbyists over the internet."
Marina - thank you for your efforts to expose this.
Jack Baillargeron
1:55 am on Wednesday, May 9, 2012
This is an abrogation of the most basic of rights to the people, our property.
It is a pipe dream that cannot work as an alternative, because only a massive wind farm by a private company can accomplish it, "20 windmills is far from (Massive), other wise it is nothing more than a scam on the taxpayers.
Sorry don’t remember voting for this, don’t remember voting for anyone to this group. Valuable you say, where is the private investment?
Why do they need Eminent domain powers?
Why do they need not pay taxes?
Why do they need to have rules to get around the citizens and councils in the first place?
Where are minority rights of the citizens being considered?
Why is deep wind project now a joke?
Why is the Cape project now a joke?
Why is tax money involved at all, if it is so profitable?
Why do they need the power to take either private owned or taxpayer owned land?
We get our electric from an International Company that has no intention, of price drop.
Why should we allow this group to raise our bills on electricity and taxes to pay for this?
Why should we payout interest on bonds to private investors, because a private company will not take all the risk of the project?
If this is so good for taxpayers, Let the individual Legislators invest their own money and leave mine out of it.
Jack Baillargeron
2:00 am on Wednesday, May 9, 2012
The scary part; is that these councils and legislators are not seeing the Pandora’s Box on this. It is bigger than wind mills; it is the start of government emasculating the rights of property owners. It denies citizens the right to redress from the government, under the guise of the public good. If this Bill passes we may as well bestow the correct label for these politicians supporting this.
ty•rant
noun \ˈtī-rənt\
Definition of TYRANT
1
a : an absolute ruler unrestrained by law or constitution b : a usurper of sovereignty
2
a : a ruler who exercises absolute power oppressively or brutally b : one resembling an oppressive ruler in the harsh use of authority or power
That is the reality of what is going on here. They are no different then the Stalinist of the past USSR in my opinion.
Jack Baillargeron
2:17 am on Wednesday, May 9, 2012
It should be noted that the Same sorry as this is on the Bristol/Warren Patch with a lively debate 107 comments last count on it and a lot of information and links there also to more information.
People reading this should take note that this is no small matter by any stretch of the imagination, nor is it over reaction on it. The problem is the law itself and the power of this quasi-government, appointes/elected group, with powers that are absolute and taxpayers have no redress on many of their powers their actions.
Please do not think this is about renewable energy, it is about the State and towns getting into the electric company business on your dime, with you liable for all its failures.
Think BCWA, if you for one minute think it will work, or Amtrack, SS, Medicare, medicaid, lottery, combined school systems, Central Falls etc, love to see someone name one program that is fiscaly sound and working efficiently in this State or the federal government for that matter, that is not ripe with fraud, waste and abuse, and costing you the taxpayers.
This is insanity and typical RI politics to get yet deeper into your pockets from a State that can't even get Child Street in Warren paved right without doubling the cost, and so many other things sadly too numerous to name. ;-{
Howard Johnson
1:56 pm on Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Heads Up, "Patriots"!
Take off that 3 corner hat, my "Patriot" friends, because you don't deserve to wear it. Those who did wear it understood and endorsed Eminent Domain, and merely added "just compensation" to the practice when they had the opportunity to abolish it (when they wrote the Constitution you studied at FOX U) . BTW, the reason the Tea Party is mocked is because they speak nonsense, with a haughty tone and while dressed in funny clothing. (If you doubt that the TP is mocked, pay close attention when you vote for Mitt Romney in November - you will be mocking yourself!)
Jack Baillargeron
9:59 pm on Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Nah too easy and so, 2 weeks to even think of what t say lol