Consortium Still 'Testing The Winds'

Today's Hummel Report takes a look at the results of harnessing wind power by the cities and towns in the East Bay -- including Barrington -- 4 years and $400,000 later.

Nine East Bay communities formed a partnership – the East Bay Energy Consortium (EBEC) – four years ago to explore making some money from wind turbines.  The cities and towns, including Barrington, got some significant financial help with nearly half a million dollars in public seed money from the RI Economic Development Corporation, according to today's Hummel Report.  That amount of cash, in turn, attracted the attention of a private developer who was interested in developing a potential $55 million project of his own in Tiverton.  Instead of embracing the private project, though, the economic development corporation saw it as a threat. And Jim Hummel finds that heading into 2013 the fate of the public project is still unclear. In short…

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Energy Group Cleared of Alleged Violations

The RI Attorney General's Office ruled last week that the East Bay Energy Consortium did not violate the state's open meetings and public records laws.

  The East Bay Energy Consortium has been cleared of public records and open meetings laws violations. The RI Attorney General made its ruling last Friday on a complaint lodged by a Tiverton man, Gerald Felise, who is the CEO of eCo Industrial Park and Natural Energy Generators, according to a story posted on eastbayri.com. The ruling said that EBEC, a consortium of nine RI towns at the time of the complaint – Barrington, Warren, Bristol, Little Compton, Portsmouth, Tiverton, Middletown, Newport and East Providence, did not break the law when it failed to provide him in a timely manner with the minutes of dozens of meetings between 2009 and 2012.  In the opinion published a week ago, RI Special Assistant Attorney General Maria R. Corvese …

Spared From Another Boondoggle?

Does the Barringon Town Council's Monday vote against supporting legislation that would turn the East Bay Energy Consortium into a subsidiary of RIEDC seem prescient?

The Barrington Town Council voted on Monday against supporting legislation that would turn the volunteer-run East Bay Energy Consortium into a division of the RI Economic Development Corporation. Town Council Vice President Jeff Brenner said: “It just doesn’t smell right.” Perhaps Brenner and the three councilors who voted with him had some foresight that turning EBEC into a state agency could create another “boondoggle” in Rhode Island. That’s what a story posted today on GoLocalProv.com is asking as well.  Barrington Town Council President June Speakman, who also voted against supporting the legislation Monday night, said: “This has been a homegrown, grassroots movement that has done a tremendous amount of work. This is a vibrant, local …

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Energy Bill 'Just Doesn't Smell Right'

Barrington Town Council votes against supporting the revised legislation that would turn the East Bay Energy Consortium into a subsidiary of the troubled RI Economic Development Corporation.

“It just doesn’t smell right.” Barrington Town Council Vice President Jeff Brenner used those five words to sum up his opposition to the revised legislation that would turn the nine-community East Bay Energy Consortium into a subsidiary of the RI Economic Development Corporation. Brenner was joined by three other town councilors Monday night in delivering that message of opposition to the bill to Barrington’s three state legislators. Sen. David Bates, Rep. Jan Malik and Rep. Joy Hearn met with the town councilors in a special meeting before the regular monthly meeting. “It’s the legislation, not the concept of cooperating with other communities to develop renewable energy,” Brenner said. Kate Weymouth, who cast the only vote in support of …

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Gary Morse

10:06 pm on Tuesday, June 5, 2012

It appears the governor agrees with the majority of the Barrington Town Council. Tonight his office delivered a letter to the legislature opposing the bill placing the EBEC under the EDC.   more ›

Energy Consortium Needs Certain Powers

New legislation to create the quasi-public East Bay Energy Consortium needs some clarification, including an explanation of proposed eminent domain power and issuing of bonds.

  The East Bay Energy Consortium (EBEC), made up of the nine East Bay communities, has submitted a bill to the Legislature to enable the creation of a quasi-public agency. New legislation creates a need to clarify issues and to inform the public. Background: EBEC was formed in late 2009 to use renewable energy and energy efficiencies to save taxpayer money by reducing the amount of energy our municipalities pay for. (Schools, streetlights, water treatment, and municipal buildings require a lot of energy.)  Each city and town joined through council resolution and a cash contribution or in-kind payment, and each city and town council appointed one representative and alternates to attend meetings and report back to the municipality. Entity: …

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Gary Morse

9:39 am on Monday, May 14, 2012

The eminent domain powers described above are similar to those in another quasi, BCWA. The public record shows that similar "checks and balances" didn't work with BCWA, why should we believe they would work any better here? And the pro forma (minimum requirements) business case analysis used to date is insufficient to determine if any project will work in the absence of taxpayer subsidies. There …   more ›

Letter to the Editor

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.

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 …

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'Dangerous' Bill Builds Wind Authority

Legislation in General Assembly would create water authority-type consortium for wind power in East Bay.

There is a very dangerous bill currently coming up for review in the House on Wednesday, May 2. The House Bill, H7592 was introduced by Representatives Gallison, Malik, Morrison, Edwards, and Handy on February 16, 2012. The Senate Bill 2870 is sponsored by Senator Lou De Palma, with the support of Senators Paiva-Weed and Chris Ottiano. It has been deemed to be a "dangerous" bill by Rhode Island Statewide Coalition, is too far-reaching, and has too much power. It is another Deepwater Wind, but far worse due to the power of eminent domain! The group was formed in 2009 by nine communities, Bristol, Warren, Barrington, East Providence, Portsmouth, Little Compton, Tiverton, Middletown and Newport, and has pretty much stayed under the radar. At …

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xatianAquidneck

8:09 am on Tuesday, May 8, 2012

The nine East Bay cities have expressed a community investment to wind energy generation. The wind is a natural resource, an untapped Natural resource on Narragansett Bay, and Rhode Island residents can tap into it as a western state would tap into coal mining. It is a wise investment of the nine cities that must account for the energy needs of the mega city that makes up the East Bay and …   more ›