New Englanders support more offshore wind power

Just don’t send it to New York

David Bidwell, University of Rhode Island; Jeremy Firestone, University of Delaware, and Michael Ferguson, University of New Hampshire

Several offshore wind farms are planned for the U.S. Northeast. 
Scott Eisen/Getty Images

In Rhode Island, home to the first offshore wind farm in the U.S., most people support expanding offshore wind power – with one important caveat.

Our research shows they’re less likely to support a wind power project if its energy flows to another state, and especially if it goes to a rival state. We found the same sentiment holds true on the New Hampshire coast.

Social scientists like us call this “regionalism,” and our research suggests it could have serious repercussions for the renewable energy transition.

Think about the rivalries and sometimes outright animosity among baseball fans. Few regional rivalries are as intense as the one between Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees fans. More than mere bluster, these place-based identities can strongly influence people’s thoughts and attitudes about rival cities in ways that extend far beyond the game. An allegiance to the Yankees can even influence perception of the distance between New York City and Boston.

But do regional identities affect attitudes toward energy development? Our studies of public attitudes toward offshore wind energy development indicate they might.

Only 10 Charlestown businesses received major federal pandemic aid

Disappointing results from federal Payroll Protection Program

By Will Collette

Shelter Harbor golf course, one of the largest recipients of federal
pandemic aid to small businesses in Charlestown

The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) was a popular part of the CARES Act, the only major legislation to come out of Trump’s Washington to address the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Largely written by the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives and grudgingly accepted by Senate Republicans, the CARES Act was designed to provide desperately needed relief to individuals and small businesses imperiled by the economic crash caused by the pandemic.

Over 600,000 PPP loan-grants were issued. Borrowers were assured the loans would be forgiven if they met the terms of the loan, mainly by retaining workers and jobs the PPP money was supposed to help.

Nationally, PPP was a mess – there wasn’t enough money and ran out quickly. A lot of that money went to big companies, businesses with shady records or connections to the Trump family as my Washington friend and colleague Phil Mattera of Good Jobs First details in the article below my local reporting on PPP in Charlestown.

It took a while to get the Trump administration to release the names of the recipients of PPP funding. In fact, that fight is on-going since Trump only reluctantly agreed to release the names of businesses that received $150,000 or more.

In Rhode Island, 2,453 companies were on that list. Among the biggest employers in the state to receive major PPP funding are Brown University, Taco Inc., KVH Industries, Moses Brown School, the Pawtucket Red Sox who are leaving Rhode Island to go to Worcester, the Foxy Lady strip club and Rhode Island Public Radio.

Only 10 employers in Charlestown received PPP funds. These include:

In the range of $150,000 to 350,000:

• Construction contractor C & C Investments with 14 employees;
• Larlham Landscape with 18 employees;
• Ocean House Marina with 25 employees;
• Stedman and Kazounis plumbers with 23 employees;
• H.D. Randall real estate with 23 employees;
• RMJC LLC, the legal name for Ray Mott’s Mott Chace Sotherbys Realty, with 17 employees;
• Charlestown Rathskeller with 65 employees and
• The Nordic Lodge with 54 employees.

Only two Charlestown employers received funds in the PPP’s next category, the $350,000 to $1 million range:

• Arrowhead Dental with 71 employees and
• Shelter Harbor golf course with 60 employees.

Many of these Charlestown businesses are well-known and for the most part well-respected. I hope they have been able to use the funding to keep going and of course, to “protect paychecks” for their workers.

But I wonder why there aren’t more Charlestown recipients. Yes, Charlestown is small, but only 10 PPP payouts out of almost 2500 statewide is ridiculous.

I suggest Charlestown’s Town Council or at least its Economic Improvement Commission should look into why such a low participation rate and what steps the town should undertake to save jobs and small businesses in Charlestown. 

Charlestown's unemployment rate for May, the latest numbers available, show 16% unemployment. In addition to an unprecedented high unemployment rate, the state's data also shows that around 10% of Charlestown's work force has dropped out of the labor market since March. 

Now here is Phil Matera’s review of PPP at the national level.

Waiting for two shoes to drop

A year of hurricanes, wildfires, and a bombshell climate report has hardly budged two key groups.

Peter Dykstra

Let's start with a multiple choice: If we were to turn the clock back 30 years, which of these two things did you think would happen, and which two did you think would not?

1. The Chicago Cubs would win their first World Series in a century, and the Boston Red Sox would win four.
2. A bombastic, controversial real estate magnate named Donald Trump would get elected President. Of the United States.
3. All corners of a strong, diligent national media would process an avalanche of science data and recognize climate change as a global crisis.
4. The durable core of ideologues and coal-burning politicians would give up the ghost on the flimsy talking points of climate denial.

Back in 1988, when we gave a landslide victory to a Republican who vowed to be "the environmental president," concerted action on climate change seemed right around the corner. The late George H.W. Bush also said "Those who think we are powerless to do anything about the greenhouse effect forget about the 'White House effect.'"

Of course, those were only campaign promises. The national media's response to climate crises present and future has been mixed at best, and the willingness of Republicans remains nearly monolithic in failing to acknowledge even the possibility of a problem.

As for the multiple choice, we now know that the unlikely success of the Cubs, Red Sox and Trump are real. The climate reckoning of news media and political conservatives are not.

Can we forgive and forget?

Lover come back: Will Pawsox, fans kiss and make up

By Chip Young in Rhode Island’s Future

Photo by Will Collette

In the iconic movie about minor league baseball, Bull Durham, the hotcha Susan Sarandon plays Annie Savoy, a diehard fan who worships at the “Church of Baseball,” the home park of a low minors team, the Durham Bulls. She is in essence a sophisticated baseball groupie.

Every year Annie welcomes the new roster of the Bulls. And through the course of the season gives the ballplayers her full-hearted devotion, affection, the finer points of the game and, in some cases, her body. 

Sarandon immortalized the nickname for her place in the pantheon, “Baseball Annie,” in a wonderful way. All Annie asked from the Bull players in return every year was respect and loving kindness. At the end of the year, it was all good-bye hugs and kisses, and no regrets to the boys of summer, with a new group due in for the same warm embrace in the spring.

At McCoy Stadium, it has never really been about the constantly changing players on the field, but the warmth, family atmosphere and affordable prices that allow folks to get more than their money’s worth. And if that is the future Jim Rice or Fred Lynn or Wade Boggs out there, it is a bonus that will be realized down the road with a boastful, “I saw him when he was at Pawtucket!”

Pawtucket Red Sox fans have become our own version of Baseball Annie, currently at a rift between the adoration of the PawSox in our hearts, and their ill-considered moment of straying from the emotional commitment of their loyal lovers. 

Better luck next year, Sox

Rhode Island Foundation mounts annual hunt for genius innovators

I nominate Mike Chambers

Got that Red Sox fever!

By Will Collette

I keep looking for opportunities befitting the Charlestown Citizens Alliance (CCA) Party’s most prolific blogger, Mike Chambers. Even though he just received a political appointment from the CCA Party majority on the Town Council to the Zoning Board, he still seems to have a lot of time on his hands for his writing and intellectual pursuits.

Just over a year ago, I recommended him for an aspiring writers fellowship, a competition that was sponsored by the Rhode Island Foundation. It seemed perfect for Mike’s terrific talent at writing political fiction. But apparently he didn’t follow through on this golden opportunity.

Maybe the amount of the fellowship, $25,000, was too small to pique Mike’s interest. How about $300,000? That’s the amount being offered to the two people who win this year’s Innovation Fellowship.

Political Bits

Voter fraud....World's most expensive video game....Sierra sell-out....poop power and rock snot

Charlie White's mugshot when arrested for voter fraud

By Will Collette

Voter Fraud update. Two recent news items show that the real voter fraud problem in this country is not ACORN registering poor people or undocumented immigrants sneaking onto the voter roles. Block Island’s annual Ground Hog Day town census showed only a total of 948 men, women and children under 18, while it has just under 1,500 people registered to vote. And in Indiana, the guy responsible for running the state’s whole election system, Secretary of State Charlie White, was found guilty on January 27 of committing voter fraud by lying about where he lived.  Starting this year, Rhode Island will require voters to produce a government-issued photo ID when they turn out to vote. While voter ID laws, this one included, are generally aimed at the virtually non-existent voter fraud by immigrants and the poor, in our state, we may just end up busting some non-residents who think that owning property gives them the right to vote twice.

Your tax dollars at work. Tomorrow, former Red Sox pitching ace Curt Schilling’s 38 Studios will officially release its first ever video game for sale at $59.99. Rhode Island taxpayers funded Schilling to the tune of a $75 million loan. 

Crazy mixed up news

Schilling won’t run; Foxboro won’t gamble; Republicans won’t help and I feel fine. Also: Brain studies, why we go on the internet, It’s NOT a Wonderful Life and thanks for the fish

By Will Collette

Curt Schilling – Not running. Former Red Sox pitcher and ultra-conservative Republican Curt Schilling made it official: he is not running for the open seat in Massachusetts District Four being vacated by retiring Rep. Barney Frank. He told the Boston Herald that he didn’t have the time, what with running his video game company 38 Studios and his family. 

I didn’t think he would run. Even if he gave every voter in District 4 an autographed bloody sock, he would still have a hard time explaining why he took RI’s $75 million economic development bribe to move his company out of Massachusetts.

Foxboro surprise. A lot of Rhode Islanders were surprised, and some were nervous, about a partnership between New England Patriots owner Robert Craft and a national casino developer to partner up to build a casino near Gillette Stadium. A casino in such a nearby and easily accessible spot would decimate state revenues from the Twin River slot parlor. Who would want to go to such a cheesy place, when you could go up I-95 to such a glitzy new, full-scale casino? 

UPDATED: RI and local politics, in brief

DC impasse could cost RI $400 million; mapping road fatalities….Will Schilling go back to Massachusetts?....Sonquipaug neighborhood wants a $430,000 xmas present….Mageau-gram….Setting the record straight

By Will Collette

Higher taxes on working families? At the end of December, federal legislation will expire that gives every working person a 2% cut in their payroll tax. That saved the average worker $1000. Also in that expiring legislation are federal extended unemployment benefits. 

Members of Congress generally want to extend this legislation but cannot agree on how to pay for it. Democrats want a one-year 2% surtax on the top 1% wealthiest Americans. Republicans are united in opposing a tax hike on the rich, but divided on whether they want to cover the cost of the legislation by either (a) simply tacking it on to the deficit or (b) making even more cuts to social programs. And there are the members of the Republican Tea Party caucus who want to end federal unemployment benefits and don't really care about the payroll tax cut.

The estimated cost of failure to pass the extension on Rhode Island: $400 million in higher payroll taxes. 

It's Truck Day and I'm Sad

It's Truck Day, one of the most important days of the year, and we have no joy in Rhode Island.

Rep. Doreen Costa (R-NO Kingtown) thinks I wasn't serious when I asked her to introduce a resolution memorializing this day, when all Red Sox fans begin to glow with anticipation of springtime. Today is the day that the trucks load up at Fenway to take the team's gear down to Florida for spring training.

See http://bostondirtdogs.boston.com/2011/02/how_we_roll_1.html

Happy Birthday, Ronnie!

Today is the 100th anniversary of the birth of President Ronald Reagan. And across the country, conservatives are celebrating the centennial of the Man that Never Existed. Sure there was a real Ronald Reagan who did serve as President. But that man and the one conservatives celebrate are two different beings.

Republican members of the Rhode Island House introduced their own surreal version of the Reagan myth, putting a resolution forward to celebrate Reagan as a "union leader" among other things, as well as a leader who shrunk the size of the federal government, annual deficits, the national debt and taxes. None of these claims are true: under Reagan, the size of the federal government and its workforce grew substantially, as did deficits and the national debt. While Reagan greatly reduced taxes on the wealthy in his first year in office, he signed tax increases on the middle class and working families each other year he was in office.