Committee Votes In Favor Of Waste To Energy For Woonsocket
Bill sponsored by Rep. Jon Brien to create facility in Woonsocket must now pass House floor.
A bill which would allow Woonsocket to pursue a waste to energy facility, making an exception to the statewide ban on trash burning, has received a positive vote from committee and could be headed to the House floor before the end of legislative session.
Of the 14 members of the House Municipal Government Committee, the group tasked with evaluating legislation specific to municipalities within the state, nine voted in favor of H 5315 on Thursday. Rep. Jon Brien (D-District 50, Woonsocket) is the sponsor of the bill, opposed by environmental advocates who question the safety of such facilities and fear it will reduce recycling. Currently there are 86 waste-to-energy plants operated in 24 states including nearby Massachusetts and Connecticut.
"I know times are bad and they want to make money, but they are going to ruin a neighborhood," said Leo Marcoux, a member of Concerned Citizens of Woonsocket, a local group opposed to the bill. "It just doesn't make sense to me."
Rep. Karen Macbeth (D-District 52, Cumberland,) Rep. Jeremiah T. O’Grady (D- District 46, Lincoln, Pawtucket,) and Rep. Deborah Ruggiero (D-District 74, Jamestown, Middletown) voted against the bill. Reps. Schadone and Tarro were not present for the vote.
Advocates trying to block the H 5315 questioned Thursday's proceedings, claiming Brien, who heads the committee, moved too quickly into the legislative meeting. The vote took place before the end of House session, an action one EcoRI article referred to as "unusual." Eco RI reports that "Several opponents were shocked to learn they had missed the vote. After some backstage commotion between legislators, a vote on the bill was held a second time and passed."
Brien confirms that votes were taken a second time last Thursday but points out that the committee readdressed nine different bills, not just 5315, with the same results.
According to EcoRI, Nicole Poepping of Clean Water Action plans to file a complaint over how the hearing was run.
"This isn't about merit, this is about politics," Brien said of the issue, adding that the public hearing on waste to energy had already occurred. "On an abundance of caution, we re-voted on all of the bills."
Brien said the proceedings were common. "We called the roll right before adjournment. It's very rare that you have every committee member there, so once there's a quorum in the room, the meeting will start," he said.
"We popped nine bills out of committee that had already been heard. There was nothing nefarious going on - the votes came out the exact same."
Speaker of the House Gordon Fox has the authority to hold H 5315 or move it forward to the House floor for vote. Director of Communications for the House, Larry Berman said it has not yet been decided if the bill will move forward before the end of session. A corresponding bill has yet to be filed in the Senate.
Yvette M Ayotte
7:20 pm on Tuesday, June 21, 2011
YES!!! It's just what Rhode Island needs. Our landfill is full and it makes no sense with all the technology that we have today not to implement such a site here in Woonsocket.
The savings to the residents all around here, etc. There is more damage being done to our underground systems with the years of trash being buried. We can burn this trash to ash and use the ash for something. WONDERFUL!!! I hope this will put Woonsocket in the positive light, we could sure use this.
Mike Kind
8:50 pm on Tuesday, June 21, 2011
The first line of this article is a lot more accurate than the headline. The bill merely allows Woonsocket to more fully explore a waste to energy plant in the City. Also, the bill will only come to a vote in the Assembly if Gordon Fox allows it, and its' fate there is, at best, uncertain.
Sandy Phaneuf
9:14 pm on Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Mike,
I believe the last paragraph of the article addresses that quite thoroughly: "Speaker of the House Gordon Fox has the authority to hold H 5315 or move it forward to the House floor for vote. Director of Communications for the House, Larry Berman said it has not yet been decided if the bill will move forward before the end of session. A corresponding bill has yet to be filed in the Senate."
Also, a "favorable" vote moved the bill forward and it would make Woonsocket's facility a "renewable" energy source. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but after reading H5315, it appears to do more than allow for exploration... it changes the law, allowing Woonsocket the facility. Again, please feel free to tell me if I'm misreading...
Mike Kind
9:49 pm on Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Sandra, you're right. I stand corrected.
christina
10:40 am on Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Why is it necessary to change a law , if you are just looking into a prospective plant?
This can be done without legislation changes. The mayor has said on the up front show that he has had interesting proposals from several companies so why is the change of law necessasry?
Concerned Citizen of Woonsocket
Robert
12:45 pm on Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Christina is right! Why put the cart before the horse? No one has to change the law in order to do a study unless by changing the law (H5315) as Brien proposes is doing something which is not in the public's best interest. Brien's hand-picked committee members (members who support his whims) are also not following ethical moves by voting in the Assembly's Lounge while other members are not present. This seems like another one of his unethical practices such as doing pluming, electrical work, and the removing of asbestos in his home without city permits. Is he really a good representative for Woonsocket?
christina
7:30 pm on Wednesday, June 22, 2011
WTE Summary of Consultant Report
by RIRRC Director Michael O'connell
Current Landfill price/Ton .........Municipalities...= $32 Incinerated Price/Ton...$111
Why Pay $79 pr.ton for the next 20 yrs. (the life of the landfill). Massachusetts maintains a Incinerator Moratoriun. 1990.They have a master plan to recycle instead. The figures above show that the prospects of the city of Woonsocket making big money from incineration is a smoke screen..
We should be following in Massachusetts foot prints and not changing any laws in our state for just one city.
Concerned Citizen
Leo Marcoux
David Wisowaty
11:56 am on Sunday, June 26, 2011
The technology has advanced dramatically since the last plant was built in the U.S. 16 years ago in Spokane. The best technology from Europe--with large reference facilities in Germany and Sweden, process 1,000 tons/day and convert 99% of solid wast into electricity and usable byproducts for construction, etc. Emissions are 75% BELOW the stringent standards of the air quality authority in Southern California. See June 17th decision by the City of Los Angeles to build such a facility:
http://www.wasterecyclingnews.com/headlines2.html?cat=1&id=1308062677