PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Attorney General Peter F. Neronha issued the following statement today expressing his Office's support of robust regulatory review by the Energy Facility Siting Board (EFSB) of a proposal to expand an existing liquified propane gas (LPG) facility in the Port of Providence:
"In-depth, comprehensive regulatory oversight of facilities with operations that impact the health and safety of Rhode Islanders and our environment is critically important. Such oversight is necessary to evaluate whether such facilities or their expansion should be approved in the first instance and, if so, what mitigation measures are necessary to safeguard public health and protection of the environment.
"Critical components of adequate evaluation and oversight include transparency regarding the proposed operations and their impact, and affording the public a meaningful opportunity for input. This is especially true when facilities are sited in areas already subject to environmental stress, which often are also areas where residents historically have had far too little influence on the decision-making process. The Port of Providence is just such an area.
"Accordingly, the proposal to expand a liquified propane gas facility to include shipments by railway and additional storage tanks warrants a full review by the EFSB. A full review would ensure an adequate evaluation of things like the impact to air quality, public safety, and welfare of the community. And – equally important – a full review would provide impacted communities an opportunity to be heard.
"I have detailed my position in a comment letter, which has been sent to the EFSB ahead of the board's decision on whether to subject the proposal to a full regulatory review."
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