Invenergy, developer of a proposed natural gas power plant in the Town of Burrillville, filed a motion Tuesday claiming resolutions opposing the project from nearly all Rhode Island cities and towns are irrelevant to whether the plant is needed.
The company is requesting 32 resolutions from Rhode Island, two from Massachusetts and one from Connecticut be excluded from evidence and treated as public comment. This would remove the resolutions from the official record of the power plant’s application and possibly give them lesser weight as the Rhode Island Energy Facility Siting Board considers the plant.
“Our motion seeks to ensure these filings are treated appropriately in this process. They are public comments and should be treated as such. They will continue to be available to the public and the members of the Board for their consideration,” Michael Blazer, senior vice president and chief legal counsel for Invenergy, said in an emailed statement.
Burrillville and the Conservation Law Foundation, parties that are opposing the plant, have filed objections to Invenergy’s request.
Jerry Elmer, attorney at the Conservation Law Foundation, said the resolutions are relevant in deciding whether the power plant is in the best interest of Rhode Islanders.
“These resolutions, passed by the city councils, the town councils, that are directly responsible for public safety and health are telling the siting board that Invenergy is not good for the public safety and health of the people of the state,” Elmer said.
Elmer added by filing this motion, Invenergy has in fact highlighted local disapproval for the project.
“What Invenergy has done, foolishly, is to call everyone’s attention to the fact that the power plant is opposed by virtually every city and town in (Rhode Island),” Elmer said.
The Energy Facility Siting Board is expected to decide sometime next week whether to treat the resolutions as evidence or public comment.
This post has been updated.
