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Donald Carcieri on Energy & OilRepublican RI Governor |
Deepwater Wind has recently completed a power purchase agreement with National Grid. Simultaneously, a team of scientists from URI is working with the Coastal Resources Management Council to complete a Special Area Management Plan--an ocean "zoning" map--the first in the country. This plan will be the guidepost for siting offshore wind farms. The Block Island project-Phase 1 of the overall wind farm plan will create an estimated 800 new jobs at Quonset Point, and equally important, we will have established R.I. as the center of East Coast offshore wind farms. Over time, this project could lead to thousands of additional jobs, as turbine, blade, and other component manufacturers locate facilities at Quonset Point to supply this new, growing industry.
In January 2006, Governor Carcieri signed an executive order creating Rhode Island’s first Chief Energy Advisor to the Governor, who will be in charge of coordinating state energy policy and overseeing the State Energy Office.
We feel compelled to guard against a regulatory approach that would increase the cost of electricity and gasoline prices, manufactured products, and ultimately harm the competitiveness of the US economy. As governors, we strongly urge Congress to stop harmful EPA regulation of greenhouse gas emissions that could damage those vital interests. We ask that Congress continue its work to pass comprehensive legislation that balances the role of conservation and climate security with the production of abundant and affordable American energy. The EPA has initiated efforts to impose greenhouse gas regulations that could be harmful to our economies at an especially critical time. As Governors, we are gravely concerned about such regulation.
EPA is not equipped to consider the very real potential for economic harm when regulating emissions. Without that consideration, regulation will place heavy administrative burdens on state environmental quality agencies, will be costly to consumers, and could be devastating to the economy and jobs.
We believe that EPA should offer input regarding complex energy and environmental policy initiatives, like reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but feel that these policies are best developed by elected representatives at the state and national level, not by a single federal agency. There is no question that broad bipartisan support exists to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while taking into consideration the difficult fiscal situation that our states and the nation face.