Today marks the start of the National Governors Association summer meeting in Providence, Rhode Island. Held over four days, the meeting will bring together more than 30 governors from across the country to discuss the most critical issues facing our nation. However, one of the glaring omissions from the conference’s agenda: climate change, specifically state…
Jul 13
2017
2017
Jul 12
2017
2017
Invenergy Natural Gas Power Plant Postponement Is Good News
Since an article appeared in the Providence Journal on July 11 saying that the proposed start-up date of the Invenergy plant has been postponed, I have heard from many CLF supporters asking questions about the delay and what it means. Here are answers to the most frequently asked questions. What exactly was reported in the…
Jun 28
2017
2017
CLF Takes on Shell Over Endangerment of Providence Community
“In 2005, when Hurricane Katrina wreaked havoc on an offshore Shell facility, the company was forced to confront the reality of climate change and the dangers it poses,” said CLF President Bradley Campbell. “But more than a decade later, Shell’s acknowledgement of these risks has not translated into action to prevent them in places where people actually live. With just one severe storm – one major flood – the Providence River and surrounding communities could be inundated with toxic substances, yet Shell has done nothing to safeguard us from this fate. It’s time they be held accountable for this grave inaction.”
Jun 23
2017
2017
The Threat of Plastic Pollution
Last week, I gave a presentation on the pollutants that plague Lake Champlain. On one slide I focused on the negative impacts of microbeads – miniature plastic balls so tiny that they slip through wastewater treatment systems and wind up in our lakes (and rivers, streams, and ocean). Once in the water, microbeads don’t biodegrade…
Jun 23
2017
2017
Q&A on CLF’s Superior Court Win in the Invenergy Case
Since the Rhode Island Superior Court denied Invenergy’s motion to dismiss CLF’s lawsuit against the company, I have received lots of questions from CLF supporters asking questions about the ruling and what it means. Here are answers to the most frequently asked questions. Does the Judge’s ruling on June 20 mean that CLF won the…
Jun 20
2017
2017
CLF Victory in Superior Court Case on Invenergy
On June 20, 2017, a Rhode Island Superior Court judge denied Invenergy’s Motion to Dismiss CLF’s lawsuit against the company. CLF’s Superior Court lawsuit asserts that the water contract between Invenergy and the Town of Johnston to supply water to Invenergy’s proposed power plant is illegal. This Superior Court case pertains to Invenergy, but is separate from…
Jun 20
2017
2017
CLF Thwarts Invenergy’s Attempt to Derail Lawsuit
“When a fossil fuel company tries to take Providence’s water in order to power a plant we overwhelmingly oppose, we have a right to stand up and fight,” said CLF senior attorney Jerry Elmer. “Today, the courts affirmed that right. Rhode Island is poised to be a leader in clean, renewable energy, and we cannot turn back the clocks by doubling down on dirty fuels that are already on their way out.”
Jun 9
2017
2017
Rhode Island Takes Action to Create a Food System for the People, the Environment, and the Economy
Rhode Island just took a historic step this past month with the launching of the state’s first comprehensive food strategy, a plan to grow and sustain markets for locally grown food for the good of communities, the environment, and the economy.
Jun 1
2017
2017
This Is Why I Love Working for CLF!
Yesterday, I came home and found a letter in a hand-written envelope waiting for me. I did not recognize the return address. Inside was a two-page letter, hand-written on yellow lined paper. It said: I wanted to send you a quick note to thank you for all of the hard work and dedication you and…
Jun 1
2017
2017
RI Judge Hears Arguments On Motion To Dismiss Lawsuit Against Invenergy, Johnston
… The Conservation Law Foundation, an environmental advocacy organization, filed a lawsuit in March claiming a water contract between the Town of Johnston and Invenergy, the power plant’s developer, is illegal. The contract says Johnston will buy water from Providence and resell it to Invenergy to cool the power plant. CLF is arguing that according to a…