Consortium Still 'Testing The Winds'
Today's Hummel Report takes a look at the results of harnessing wind power by the cities and towns in the East Bay -- including East Providence -- 4 years and $400,000 later.
Nine East Bay communities formed a partnership – the East Bay Energy Consortium (EBEC) – four years ago to explore making some money from wind turbines.
The cities and towns, including East Providence, got some significant financial help with nearly half a million dollars in public seed money from the RI Economic Development Corporation, according to today's Hummel Report.
That amount of cash, in turn, attracted the attention of a private developer who was interested in developing a potential $55 million project of his own in Tiverton.
Instead of embracing the private project, though, the economic development corporation saw it as a threat. And Jim Hummel finds that heading into 2013 the fate of the public project is still unclear.
In short, four years and $400,000 later, the communities still have a long way to go to decide how to move forward.
See the latest Hummel Report – “Testing the Winds.”
Govstench
10:30 pm on Friday, February 22, 2013
This is nothing more than another expansion of government. Municipalities have zero experience in the power industry and the Tiverton Windturbine fiasco is just another example. This EBEC is a creation of green advocates that hired a high powered attorney to "steamroll" municipalities in the East Bay to jump on board. This thing needs to be killed off all together.