Jul 28, 2017

Whale Watch

The story of North Atlantic right whales is a sadly familiar one. Historically, they were targeted by whalers because they were commercially lucrative and easy to kill. Today, with barely 500 North Atlantic right whales left on the planet, they face threats from warming waters, which push their food sources north, as well as fishing net entanglements and ship collisions.

Jul 28, 2017

Fighting Big Gas

Jason and Erin Olkowski never saw themselves as activists and community organizers. But that all changed when Invenergy came to their small Rhode Island town, with its plans to build a massive new natural gas plant next door to family homes and within a pristine conservation area.

Jason and Erin Olkowski
Jun 28, 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

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… Continue reading The Threat of Plastic Pollution

Microbeads
Jun 20, 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… Continue reading CLF Victory in Superior Court Case on Invenergy

Jun 20, 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.”