Wind opponents cry foul over meeting

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) - As a controversial wind-farm bill nears a vote at the State House, opponents of the legislation are crying foul over a meeting Wednesday before the House Environment and Natural Resources Committee.

The committee is considering a bill that would allow offshore wind-farm developer Deepwater Wind to move forward on its plan to build eight turbines off Block Island. If passed, the legislation would allow Deepwater to skip review by the Public Utilities Commission, which rejected the proposal earlier this year.

The contested meeting took place Wednesday at 2 p.m. at the state house, according to House spokesperson Larry Berman. He said the CEO of Deepwater, William Moore, was there to answer questions for the Environment Committee.

"It was an informational briefing because they already had a public hearing," Berman said. "Chairman [Arthur] Handy wanted to make the Deepwater CEO available to answer questions. This was not an official meeting or anything like that."

Berman said because it was not a public hearing, notices did not need to go out, nor is there a transcript of what was said or a list of who attended.

Indeed, a clerk for the House Committee on Environment and Resources told Target 12 he did not have a list of the attendees "because it was not a public meeting."

Executive Director John Marion of Common Cause said they are still weighing whether or not they will file a complaint with the Attorney General's office for a violation of the Open Meetings Act.

"On its face this certainly violates the idea of conducting the legislature's business in public," Marion said. "This is Deepwater pitching the legislature for a bill that favors only Deepwater. Opposition deserves to be heard as much as the preferred developer does."

Chairman Arthur Handy confirmed he called the meeting, hoping to get more financial information out of the Deepwater Wind Executives.

"In retrospect I realize there is some concern they way it might have looked. I'm mad at myself." Rep. Handy said. "I want to make sure everyone has a voice in this process and I'm going to make sure that happens."

Handy said the committee will hold another public hearing before any vote is taken.

Opponents of the wind-farm, like Ocean State Police Research Institute President William Felkner, said the Q&A with company executives was merely an opportunity for Deepwater to lobby.

"Any time legislators meet as a public body then it should be open to the public," he said. "The public didn't have an opportunity to respond to Deepwater's information."

Reached by phone, committee member Arthur Ehrhardt, who has opposed the wind-farm project, confirmed he was in attendance along with Chairman Handy.

"There were not many of us there," Rep. Ehrhardt said. "It was a briefing by the Deepwater folks to explain their perspective on the project."

Erhardt said he can't recall who on the committee attended the meeting "people were in and out." But confirmed Chairman Handy and Representatives Donna Walsh and Amy Rice also attended. Along with the CEO of Deepwater Wind, the company's Chief Development Officer, Paul Rich, was there to answer questions.