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| URI professor Peter Nightengale, second from left, was arrested Dec. 16 during a protest at Sen. Whitehouse's office. (Fight Against Natural Gas) |
PROVIDENCE — University of Rhode Island professor Peter Nightengale was arrested Dec. 16 at Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse’s office as part of group protest against a natural-gas pipeline project.
Nightengale, a member of Fossil Free RI, teaches physics at URI. He regularly attends environmental rallies in Rhode Island and nationally. He’s also a member of the Raging Grannies protest group that sings humorous environmental songs. Nightengale was arrested for refusing to leave Whitehouse’s office after 15 police officers entered around 5 p.m.
He was one of 10 activists involved in a sit-in at Whitehouse’s office on Westminister Street to draw attention to the proposed expansion of Spectra Energy’s natural-gas pipeline through southern New England and New York. The protesters included Burrillville residents who oppose a proposed expansion of a massive natural-gas compressor station in their town.
Opponents of the project say Spectra’s Algonquin Incremental Market project (AIM) will deliver natural gas that’s been extracted by the controversial process of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. The group warns that the project increases health and fire risks, as well as causes environmental harm.
Sen. Whitehouse, D-R.I., has endorsed the expansion of natural-gas exploration to create a bridge fuel until renewable energy becomes more widespread.
Fossil Free RI and FANG (Fight Against Natural Gas) organized a similar protest at Whithouse’s office in August. There were no arrests. Three activists were arrested and changed with trespassing during an “occupation” of Sen. Jack Reed’s office in Cranston on Oct. 31.
“Everyone, please don't think of Senator Whitehouse as a 'climate champion' anymore. At least until he stops supporting the Spectra pipeline and he stops having climate activists arrested,” FANG posted on its Facebook page.
The action followed a contentious Dec. 16 public hearing at the state Public Utilities Commission over a proposed 24 percent increase in electricity rates by National Grid.
The Whitehouse action was part of Respect and Resistance Week organized by environmental activists across southern New England in opposition to the AIM project. Rallies were held Dec. 13 across the region. On Dec. 15, two protesters were arrested after attempting to shutdown a natural-gas compressor station in Connecticut.
The coalition initially planned the week of protest to coincide with the scheduled release of the final environmental impact statement on the AIM project by the Federal Energy Regulatory Committee (FERC) on Dec. 19. However, last week FERC said it will delay the release by a month.