As climate change intensifies, a fossil fuel company plans expansion in Rhode Island

The plan seeks to increase the capacity of the pipeline that runs through Burrillville, as well as potentially expanding the size of the state's compressor station.

Enbridge Inc. owns and operates the pipeline that carries fracked gas from New Jersey, across Connecticut, through a small corner of Rhode Island in Burrillville, and on to Massachusetts, to ultimately arrive at an Atlantic port for export overseas. Attached to the pipeline, like charms on a bracelet, are fracked gas and diesel oil-burning power plants like the Ocean State Power Plant on Sherman Road in Harrisville that's turning 35 years old next year.

Recently Enbridge announced Project Maple, a plan to expand the pipeline's capacity, citing the growing use of fracked gas as a key element of New England's energy consumption. "...natural gas demand in New England continues to grow and additional pipeline capacity will be required to maintain a reliable and affordable supply of energy,” writes Enbridge.

Environmental groups, such as Burrillville BASE, The FANG Collective, Climate Action Rhode Island, and those concerned about the future of the planet, are opposed to Enbridge's plan, writing that while details are still forthcoming, “it will likely include an expansion of the fracked-gas compressor station in Burrillville, Rhode Island. The compressor station burns fracked gas to create pressure along the pipeline route, discharging dangerous toxins as part of the process.”

Kathy Marley, founder of BASE

BASE is a community group that's led by people directly impacted by the Enbridge compressor station. It came together in 2014 in partnership with The FANG Collective, to fight two previous expansions to the compressor station. During their opposition to the two previous expansion plans, there were large-scale community protests and events, as well as several direct actions to stop construction. While the first expansion was completed (although very delayed), the second proposed expansion was canceled in 2017. It is this expansion project that Enbridge is now trying to bring back to life.

The expansion of the pipeline may well revive efforts to build a second fracked gas and diesel-oil-burning power plant in Burrillville similar to the one Invenergy proposed that the community spent four and half years working to stop four years ago. More capacity means more gas and more potential power plants throughout New England.

This is why a dozen people gathered at the intersection of Algonquin Lane and Wallum Lake Road on Tuesday. Holding signs that read “Enbridge to Nowhere” and “We will stop Project Maple,” Rhode Islanders were joined by residents of Killingly, Connecticut who fought their own successful battle against a power plant there.

The final decision on Project Maple, if the proposal gets that far, will be made by FERC, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. It being a federal project, Rhode Island will need members of our congressional delegation to be vocally against the project. Despite the reputation of Senator Sheldon Whitehouse as a climate champion, his opposition to this project is far from guaranteed. He never opposed the previous expansions of the pipeline through Burrillville or the building of Invenergy’s power plant.

As climate change intensifies, And despite claims at the time by Senator Whitehouse that “natural gas” might be a suitable bridge fuel, that is a lower carbon intensive means by which to wean ourselves off fossil fuels and into a clean energy future, it turns out that, “Preliminary research by Cornell University’s Robert Howarth, reported in The New Yorker by Bill McKibben [in early November], finds that ‘natural’ (methane) gas may be 24 percent worse for the climate than coal in the best-case scenario.” This is because of methane leaks that occur at every stage of fracked gas’s transmission.

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