Do supply problems and state decarbonization goals warrant an end to new natural gas connections on Aquidneck Island?
State regulators are asking Newport residents to weigh in at a 6 p.m. meeting on Wednesday night at Innovate Newport. The event kicks off an exploratory review of the abstract prospect of banning new gas hookups on the Island.
Energy regulators have spent years wrestling with this hypothetical, prompted by Rhode Island Energy’s plan to expand an existing liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage and equipment facility on Old Mill Lane in Portsmouth.
The $33.5 million expansion project on the Portsmouth-Middletown line aims to prevent future gas outages on Aquidneck Island, which relies on a single, six-inch gas pipe to funnel the state’s main gas supply to Island customers.
Rhode Island Energy Facility Siting Board agreed to the utility company’s plan, granting a conditional license in August 2024.
Construction to accommodate extra storage space and equipment began in April, and is expected to be completed in November. The 70,000 gallons of LNG the company plans to store at a permanent facility is projected to be enough to provide gas to the Island for 37 continuous hours, or three days of up to six hours per day when considering capacity constraints.
But the quest for alternative solutions continues. Energy regulators made clear in their authorization for the project that the prospect of a natural gas moratorium was still on the table.
There is no set timeline for a decision, nor a guarantee that one will happen at all. Next steps will be determined after the public comment hearings, Patricia Lucarelli, administrator for the state Public Utilities Commission, which issued an advisory opinion on the LNG proposal, said in an email. The utility panel is in the midst of a separate deep dive into how the state should plan for, and spend on, natural gas expansion, given its mandate to reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
Environmental groups like the Conservation Law Foundation and the Rhode Island Attorney General’s office pointed to this parallel review of the future of state dependency on natural gas as a potential contradiction to Rhode Island Energy’s LNG expansion plan. Others suggested a moratorium on new gas hookups as a better way to address the island’s gap between gas supply and demand.
Rhode Island Energy railed against any guardrails on new gas customers, warning that it would spike heating bills for area residents. Company attorneys also said state regulators lack legal authority to limit new connections.
Neighbors and municipal leaders featured prominently in the debate too, with objections focused on the noise and traffic from expanding the storage site. As the people most directly affected by a potential kibosh on new gas connections, state regulators insist their feedback is critical.
“The Board has not made any decision regarding a moratorium, nor has any party made a specific proposal, but the issue remains ripe for consideration, including weighing the benefits of a moratorium against the impact on residents and businesses who may wish to have the option to seek new gas connections in the future and the economy on the island,” the meeting notice states.
A handful of local residents submitted written comments to regulators already. Several noted the string of hotels that have opened in Newport in recent years, increasing the strain on the limited supply of natural gas.
Benjamin Riggs, a retired Navy captain, suggested banning new hookups for hotel and large commercial projects exclusively, noting that the widening gap between supply and demand caused by these projects has already resulted in rising usage rates shouldered by residents.
Connie and Rick Bischoff, of Newport, recalled the 2019 emergency outage that left 7,000 Aquidneck Islanders without heat for a frigid week in January. But the couple also pointed out that electric heat “costs a lot.”
“We simply need this issue to be looked at more carefully,” they wrote.
A new wrinkle highlighted by William Horan of Middletown in his written comments: the change in Washington, D.C., where an anti-renewable energy administration has pulled back crucial incentives needed to help states, including Rhode Island, achieve their dependence on fossil fuels.
The public meeting in Newport will not be streamed, although comments made will be transcribed, Lucarelli said. Portsmouth residents can provide in-person feedback at a second meeting on Aug. 27 at Portsmouth Middle School.
This story was originally published by the Rhode Island Current.
