LISTEN NOW: EP 006 – Public Utilities Commission of Rhode Island MARISA: Good afternoon. This is Environmentally Speaking. I am Marisa Desautel an environmental attorney with a few decades of experience. And with me today is Clarice. CLARICE: Hey, everybody. Marisa is back after last week’s episode. I promise she wasn’t gone forever. I’m Clarice. I’m a paralegal…
Ocean Wind 1 (OCW01) a 75/25 JV with PSEG, is a planned offshore wind farm located 15 miles off the coast of southern New Jersey. Survey activities are not occurring on this site currently. Ocean Wind 2 (OCW02) is a planned offshore wind farm located off the coast of southern New Jersey, adjacent to the Ocean Wind 1 project. Survey…
BOEM is seeking comments (due July 30, 2021) on what information to consider in an Environmental Impact Statement for construction of the Vineyard Wind South project. The proposed project includes up to 130 wind turbine generators, 2-5 offshore substations, inter-array cables, and up to 5 export cables connecting to the onshore electric grid in Barnstable County, Massachusetts. This project would be…
Agency seeks comments from the public The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) today announced it will begin conducting an environmental review of a Construction and Operations Plan (COP) submitted by Vineyard Wind, LLC, for its Vineyard Wind South offshore wind project. “The Biden-Harris administration has set an ambitious target of 30 gigawatts of installed offshore wind energy by 2030,…
It’s no secret in Rhode Island that the first offshore wind farm pilot project, the Block Island Wind Farm, has seen its share of issues with the cable that runs from Block Island to Crescent Beach in Narragansett. But what is the regulatory process for National Grid to obtain a decision from the Rhode Island Public Utilities Commission, or PUC,…
Our blog has written about the solar farm development siting and impacts on the surrounding wooded areas on a few occasions. This post will give some insight into the newer developments with regard to Rhode Island’s solar capabilities and renewable energy regulations, as evidenced in two recent reports. Renewable Energy Regulations and Economic Benefits As we discussed previously, the state…
In today’s blog post, we’ll take a look into renewable energy regulations updated in Massachusetts, which became the first state to adopt a Clean Peak Energy Standard. Energy Oversight in Massachusetts: the DOER The Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (“DOER”) develops and implements the state’s energy supply policies and programs. They aim to keep the state’s energy supply diverse, secure,…
In the latest solar farm land dispute heard by the R.I. Superior Court, Freepoint Solar, LLC (“Freepoint”) appealed a decision of the Town of Richmond Zoning Board of Review (“the ZBR”). The ZBR denied Freepoint a special use permit for construction of a solar farm on property in the town’s R-3 residential zoning district. Today, we’ll explain why the Superior…
The Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources (“OER”) is currently working on implementation of Governor Raimondo’s January 2020 Executive Order. The goal of the Executive Order is to propel the state’s energy law and policy toward meeting 100% of its electricity demand with renewable energy resources by 2030. Today, we’ll discuss renewable energy law and policy, as well as cover…
As it stands currently, the Internet is a utility available for purchase from various private providers including AT&T, Verizon, and Comcast. A growing movement to make Internet access a public utility is taking shape, though. Below, we discuss this movement and utility law. The Net Neutrality Debate The idea of “net neutrality,” the term for Internet service providers (ISPs) treating…