by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island CurrentNovember 13, 2024 Rhode Island’s economic development agency has finally embraced livestream meeting culture, complete with its own YouTube page. Rhode Island Commerce Corporation quietly debuted its first livestream at its Oct. 28 meeting, notifying participants that they could watch the meeting, live or later, on the agency’s YouTube page. […]
Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island Current
Nancy Lavin is a reporter covering State House politics along with energy and environmental issues for Rhode Island Current.
Posted inCity & Government
SouthCoast Wind clears federal environmental hurdle
by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island CurrentNovember 12, 2024 A 147-turbine offshore wind project planned off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard will not harm local species and habitat any more than climate change already is, according to a federal review published on Friday. One exception: North Atlantic right whales, which could face “moderate adverse” direct and […]
Posted inEnvironment & Health
Red and blue R.I. voters take different views on green energy in polling on offshore wind
by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island CurrentOctober 4, 2024 Political affiliation sways Rhode Islanders opinions on offshore wind far more than how close they live to the coastline, according to a new Rhode Island Current poll. The poll, conducted by MassINC Polling Group with funding from the Knight Election Hub, surveyed 800 likely voters from Sept. […]
Posted inCity & Government, Environment & Health, News
R.I. regulators resume review of SouthCoast Wind transmission lines
by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island CurrentSeptember 23, 2024 A proposal to run underwater power lines from a Massachusetts offshore wind farm through Rhode Island waters is back before state regulators, following a 14-month pause. The Rhode Island Energy Facility Siting Board voted unanimously Monday to resume consideration of SouthCoast Wind Energy LLC’s application to run […]
Posted inEnvironment & Health
R.I. Energy’s seasonal electric rate hikes will be partially offset by $27M refund
by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island CurrentSeptember 20, 2024 In the end, the much-maligned winter electric rate hikes won’t be as burdensome as initial calculations suggested, thanks to a nearly $27 million refund distributed to Rhode Island Energy customers. Still, the 500,000 state residents who opt to get their electricity from Rhode Island Energy — rather […]
Posted inCity & Government
‘Democracy is not about agreeing 100%’
by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island CurrentSeptember 16, 2024 Forty-five years and a world of ideological differences separate Senate President Dominick Ruggerio from Sen. Tiara Mack. But that didn’t stop Mack, a 30-year-old Black, queer woman who describes herself as an abortion fundraiser, from pounding the pavement in North Providence for 75-year-old Ruggerio in his primary […]
Posted inCity & Government
Critics sound off on proposed winter utility rate hikes at PUC hearing
by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island CurrentSeptember 10, 2024 The prospect of winter utility rate hikes drew sharp criticism Monday night from residents, activists, and elected officials, who blasted Rhode Island Energy for its proposed gas and electric rates during a public hearing. The nearly-two-hour-long hearing held at the Rhode Island Public Utilities Commission’s Warwick offices […]
Posted inCity & Government
R.I. wanted 1,200 megawatts of wind power. But it’s only buying a fraction of that.
by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island CurrentSeptember 6, 2024 Rhode Island’s second attempt to grow its offshore wind portfolio proved successful. Kind of. The tentative contract announced Friday between Rhode Island, Massachusetts and developers of the SouthCoast Wind project will bring another 200 megawatts of wind-generated electricity to the Ocean State, providing enough electricity to power […]
Posted inEnvironment & Health, News
The biggest problem facing offshore wind energy isn’t broken blades. It’s public opinion.
by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island Current September 4, 2024 Jim Boyd’s heart sank the first time he saw the now-infamous image of a fractured wind turbine blade dangling above the Atlantic Ocean. Not because of the fiberglass and styrofoam debris collected from the waters and shoreline along Nantucket in the month that followed. Not because […]
Posted inBusiness
Orsted to expand R.I. HQ, double local workforce
by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island CurrentAugust 29, 2024 The Danish company developing Rhode Island’s first commercial, offshore wind project is expanding its footprint in the Ocean State. Orsted U.S. on Thursday announced plans to open a new engineering, procurement and construction hub in Rhode Island, centered in a new headquarters up the street from its […]
Posted inCity & Government
State regulators grant five-year license, with conditions, for Portsmouth LNG facility
by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island CurrentAugust 22, 2024 State regulators gave long-awaited authorization Thursday to a long-term plan to expand liquefied natural gas storage on the Portsmouth-Middletown line. But it’s not the carte blanche approval Rhode Island Energy wanted. Rather than a permanent LNG storage and equipment facility, the Rhode Island Energy Facility Siting Board […]
Posted inElection
Mail ballot applications due Tuesday; early voting starts on Wednesday
by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island CurrentAugust 19, 2024 It’s a big week for Rhode Island elections, with upcoming deadlines for mail ballot applications and the start of early voting ahead of the state’s Sept. 10 primary. Rhode Island registered voters have until 4 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 20, to apply for a mail ballot for the […]
Posted inCity & Government
Campaign reports show potential rematch shaping up for 2026 R.I. governor’s race
by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island CurrentAugust 1, 2024 Two years before the bell rings, Gov. Dan McKee and Helena Bounanno Foulkes are squaring off for what could be the premiere rematch for governor. In McKee’s corner are liquor store owners, state government employees and a disgraced jewelry company CEO, according to campaign finance reports filed […]
Posted inNews
R.I. Democratic delegates to vote Wednesday on Harris endorsement
by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island CurrentJuly 22, 2024 As Democratic officials and party leaders nationwide line up behind Vice President Kamala Harris for their party’s presidential nominee, Rhode Island’s Democratic delegates remain tight-lipped about who they are backing as a group. But not for long. The 35 elected and appointed delegates chosen to represent the […]
Posted inCity & Government
Eleven state legislative hopefuls drop out of signature certification deadline
by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island CurrentJuly 19, 2024 Rhode Island House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi has an unobstructed path to victory in the November election, after a would-be Republican challenger failed to turn in the required 50 signatures of district voters needed to make the November ballot. Dana James Traversie, a Warwick Republican whose campaign […]
Posted inCity & Government
Election-related wins and losses from the 2024 legislative session
by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island CurrentJuly 5, 2024 For seven years, a four-letter mistake has haunted Common Cause Executive Director John Marion. In drafting legislation to require a post-election review verifying accuracy and security of primary and general election results, Marion wrote “statewide” rather than “state.” In doing so, Marion inadvertently let legislative races skirt […]
Posted inCity & Government
Rhode Island Secretary of Housing Stefan Pryor resigns
by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island Current June 27, 2024 Rhode Island’s housing department is losing its second cabinet head in less than three years, Gov. Dan McKee’s office announced on Thursday. Housing Secretary Stefan Pryor will be stepping down in two weeks for an unspecified private-sector job, Olivia DaRocha, a spokesperson for McKee’s office, said […]
Posted inCity & Government
Incumbents are unopposed in nearly half of General Assembly races
by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island CurrentJune 26, 2024 Former Woonsocket Mayor Lisa Baldelli-Hunt will not attempt a comeback run for the Rhode Island Legislature this year, despite commissioning a voter survey and telling local news outlets she was considering challenging Rep. Jon Brien, an independent, for the seat she once held. In an emailed statement […]
Posted inNews
Sailing away on the Block Island Ferry will cost more for fast ferry users
Sailing away on the Block Island Ferry will cost more for fast ferry users by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island Current June 26, 2024 Bad news for travelers to and from Block Island: the fare for taking the high-speed ferry between Point Judith and Block Island is going up starting Thursday. The Rhode Island Public Utilities […]
Posted inCity & Government
Rhode Island Senate approves $13.96B FY25 budget in 34-1 vote
by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island CurrentJune 14, 2024 A $13.96 billion fiscal 2025 budget awaits Gov. Dan McKee’s signature following passage in the Rhode Island Senate just after the clock struck midnight on Friday. The spending plan, approved by a 34-1 vote, mirrors the version that sailed through the Rhode Island House on June 7. […]
Posted inCity & Government
Nearly-$14B budget plan breezes through Rhode Island House on 69-5 vote Friday
by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island Current June 7, 2024 Finalizing the state’s annual spending plan is often a contentious, drawn-out process. Not this year. A $13.96 billion fiscal 2025 budget breezed through the Rhode Island House of Representatives Friday night. The 69-5 vote came after a mere 3 1/2 hours of discussion that included high […]
Posted inCity & Government
Eleventh hour bottle bill reignites debate between environmental, business groups
by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island CurrentJune 5, 2024 Disagreement over a state bottle recycling program is as pervasive as the piles of recyclable bottles and cans littering Rhode Island streets, beaches and waterways. So it’s no surprise that controversy again clouded the bottle bill conversation Wednesday night. Hours of debate unfolded in an airless second-floor […]
Posted inNews
Amid calls to reform politically appointed CRMC, another member resigns
by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island CurrentMay 29, 2024 Rhode Island’s embattled coastal regulatory agency has lost another appointed council member, leaving three open seats on a panel that has struggled with attendance woes and vacancies for years. Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council Chairman Ray Coia announced at the agency’s May 28 meeting that council […]
Posted inBusiness
Keith Stokes to lead state diversity office, including minority business contracting program
by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island CurrentMay 13, 2024 A familiar face in Rhode Island government has returned to Smith Hill, this time leading the state division charged with overseeing its minority business contracting program. The Rhode Island Department of Administration announced Keith W. Stokes as new associate director of its Division of Equity, Diversity and […]
Posted inNews
Salve Regina poll: Most Americans back founding democratic values over ethnic, religious identities
by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island CurrentApril 24, 2024 NEWPORT — There’s a glimmer of hope in what seems like an increasingly divisive national political atmosphere: Nearly two-thirds of Americans say they value the nation’s founding principles of equality and pursuit of happiness, according to a new survey out of Salve Regina University’s The Pell Center. […]