We are wholly the captive of one fossil fuel company
"It’s the only forum where we can get immediate results, as we consistently have, including on clean energy, and we’re going to continue to do that. The Attorney General’s office in Rhode Island has never been more important.
"Donald Trump is a threat to us in so many
ways, from our elections to clean energy, that fighting on all these fronts is
critically important. But the fight isn’t just with Donald Trump. We can’t
forget how important it is to make and keep good energy policy here at home. We
can’t blame Donald Trump for everything that goes sideways with our energy
policy.”
Here’s the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjflShvYusk
Attorney General Neronha has twice successfully sued the Trump Administration over illegal work stoppages issued against Revolution Wind. On Thursday, his office announced, with five other state Attorneys General, its intention to sue the Administration over its unprecedented use of the Treasury Department’s Judgment Fund to make $2.7 billion in payouts to companies to vacate their offshore wind leases, in exchange for fossil fuel development.
On Thursday, AG Neronha joined a coalition of 18 attorneys general in moving to intervene in a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for unlawfully freezing routine reviews of land-based wind energy projects across the country.
“We can’t attribute our lack of progress on clean energy here at home to Donald Trump,” continued Attorney General Neronha.
“We are wholly the captive of one fossil fuel company for our energy, Rhode Island Energy. They have proven time and again that they don’t have your best interests at heart. Whether it’s when they acquired the company in the first place and tried to put $180 million on your bill or when they estimate your electric or gas bill and then wait for you to figure out it’s wrong, they are part of the problem.
"Until we recognize that we shouldn’t give
Rhode Island Energy sweetheart deals to save them money and cost us money, we
can’t win the energy fight. We have to be objectively skeptical about everything
our public utility in this state does because they are not on the side of clean
energy - a fossil fuel company in Pennsylvania owns them. If we don’t remember
that and ask our state officials, every time they make a decision or try to
roll back part of the Act
on Climate, why they’re doing it, we’re not getting the answers we
deserve.
“It’s why I unlinked our lawyers from the Division of Public Utilities and Carriers (DPUC), which answers to the governor, seven years ago: I want our lawyers like Nick Vaz fighting independently for you, not for somebody else in government.
"When you think
about energy policy, yes, Donald Trump is the big son of a gun over there, but
there are a few sons of a gun right here in Rhode Island too. And don’t let
them let you think for a minute - and I know I’m preaching to the choir here,
so keep preaching - don’t let your friends and neighbors think for a minute
that the fight is only in Washington. I know it’s there. We’re in that fight.
That fight is right here at home. Remember who your friends are here at home
and hold them accountable for the decisions they have made and not made.
“It’s critically important who our leaders are here in Rhode
Island just as much as it is in Washington. We need leaders here, like them,
fighting for you every day with only one thing in mind—low-cost, clean energy.
I see a lot of young people out there. This isn’t about my future; it’s about
your future and my sons’ futures, and their children’s futures. We have got to
get clean energy online quickly and in a way that Rhode Islanders understand is
in their best interests.
“That’s a message that we can preach together, so I encourage you to preach...”
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