The Conservation Law Foundation is suing in an attempt to block Johnston from reselling water for Invenergy’s proposed Burrillville power plant.
In its Superior Court lawsuit, the CLF argues that Johnston lacks a legal basis for reselling water for the power plant. The environmental group points to a 1915 law specifying why a city or town can take or receive water.
Conservation Law Foundation lawyer Max Greene said the law permits towns to resell water for only three specific uses.
“Johnston’s purchase of water for resale to a power plant developer proposing a facility in a different town is not any of those,” Greene said. “It’s certainly not residential, it’s not an emergency, and it’s not an ordinary municipal purpose.”
See the full segment here.