Burrillville Town Council Votes to Oppose $700 Million Energy Facility
GoLocalProv News Team
Burrillville Town Council Votes to Oppose $700 Million Energy Facility
On Thursday night, the Burrillville Town Council voted at a special meeting on to oppose the siting of a proposed Invenergy power plant.
According to the Council via a release, “the vote takes into account feedback from residents of Burrillville as well as the expert opinions of non-biased consultants who studied the impact on the Town especially in the areas of noise, traffic, air quality, property values and the environment.”
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST“It is clear from the extensive reports we have received from our consultants, and from the strong concern expressed by residents, that Burrillville is not an appropriate site for this new Invenergy power plant,” said Town Council President John Pacheco. “There is no question this plant would have a severe and
negative impact on the quality of life here in our rural community.
The Town Council President will be presenting the Town’s position to the Energy Facility Siting Board (EFSB). The EFSB, which is the decision-making authority on the Invenergy proposal, will be taking formal testimony before reaching a decision.
The proposed project is strongly supported by Governor Gina Raimondo. The project is a $700 million investment in Rhode Island by Invenergy, a Chicago energy company. The project will generate hundreds of construction jobs during the development of the project.
Previously, he Burrillville Town Council had maintained a neutral position on the proposal to allow a full study and the unimpeded drafting of advisory opinions on the proposal by town boards and officials that were asked to provide advisory opinions to the EFSB. Those advisory opinions, including assessments from town-hired experts, are complete. They express deep concern about the impact of the proposed facility on Burrillville. Both the Planning and Zoning Boards concluded the Town is not a suitable site for the facility.
“There is no doubt after hearing from the experts, who have extensively studied the areas of traffic, noise, air quality and water, that Invenergy should not be allowed to build it’s new facility in Town,” Pacheco said.
“Hundreds of Town residents have voiced their opposition to the plant, and while we recognize the EFSB is the decision maker- we hope it will the listen to the Town’s very strong objection.”
Should the EFSB force the Town to accept the Invenergy plant, the Town does have the authority to demand guaranteed financial compensation. The Town Council has negotiated an aggressive package of contracts to protect its residents if the power plant is allowed to locate in Burrillville. The four proposed contracts include a tax agreement, a property value guarantee agreement, an opt-out agreement and a decommissioning agreement. The Town Council will hold a public hearing on the contract package on Monday September 26, 2016.
5 Economic Projects - Can Raimondo Get Them Done?
#5 Wexford-CV Properties
The Raimondo administration continues to work with the 195 Commission to seal the deal with the Baltimore-based Wexford Science and Technology for development of prime real estate on the former highway land. While a proposal was made back in June for a mixed-use project, the negotiations between the state and the life sciences have been mostly behind the scenes, with a key vote taken on the proposal taking place Monday night -- in closed session.
"It is important to note that a P&S while an important milestone, is still just a step in the development process," said Commission spokesperson Dyana Koelsch. You can see the plan as presented on the Jewelry District's website HERE. Will we see shovels shortly?
#4 General Electric
Reports that the Connecticut giant is eyeing a move elsewhere — with Rhode Island on that short list — has many a Ocean Stater excited at the possibility. The Boston Globe not surprisingly made the case that their state should top the list (taking a dig at the others), saying that the "Boston area is on the short list of contenders for the headquarters and its 800 people, as GE’s search focuses on high-cost states in the Northeast. In relation to those states, Massachusetts compares favorably on its business tax climate."
However a Connecticut State Rep told the Hartford Courant a month earlier that Rhode Island as an option “wouldn’t surprise him.” Said State Rep John Frey in November, “It's been expressed to me by a couple of people at GE that they've been impressed by what the governor has done with state employee liabilities." To say a GE coup by Raimondo would be monumental for Rhode Island would be an understatement.
#3 Citizens' Campus
The Rhode Island-based banking powerhouse has indicated that is looking for a vacant location state as a potential new campus for 4,000 + of its employees — while maintaining its headquarters downtown at One Citizens Plaza. There is little indication at this time however of consideration of a vacant parcel of prime Providence real estate just to its HQ's south (that being the Industrial National Bank “Superman” building); the bank is indicating that keeping its support facility in Cranston is still an option.
“The lease for our service and support facility in Cranston expires in 2018. We are exploring several opportunities ranging from renewal to potentially consolidating some of our staff and back office functions at a new location in Rhode Island," said Citizens spokesperson Jim Hughes. Watch to see how Citizens moves forward -- and what, if any, role Raimondo has in the process -- and outcome.
#2 Superman Building
The arguably most iconic building in Providence — and Rhode Island’s - skyline lost its last tenant in 2013, and a year later an appraiser deemed it to have “zero value.” A failed effort to utilized tax credits and public investment by High Rock Development has left watchers asking if and when anything is going to move into the historic (if slightly aging) building.
Former Mayor and real estate developer Joseph Paolino, who has been a vocal supporter of trying to get Citizens Bank into Superman, told GoLocal, “I think the biggest problem [in the city] is Superman, because it depresses everything around it. Paolino, who bought three properties nearby downtown back in 2014 — said the revelation that the Industrial National Bank building was empty had cost him a mortgage with a major lender.
Whether there is an opportunity for a Citizens Bank move, or a new developer to re-package a viable mixed-use proposal, if the Superman building is still empty in several years' time, that is not a win for anyone -- not the city, not the state, and not the Governor.
#1 195 Rollout
When Raimondo took office, she understandably made a number of changes on the 195 Commission. A tax stabilization agreement (TSA) structure was finalized this past summer, and the Commission has the Wexford biotech proposal moving forward — but how much more development, and how soon, will the Raimondo administration be able to accomplish what it pledged it would do?
Raimondo called for the 195 land to be a manufacturing hub during her campaign — and while year one might have been setting the stage, the next years are critical for the state — and Governor. Will she usher through her proposed Innovation Institute?
