Good cause, but
dirty money
By
Will Collette
The
owners of the nationally infamous
Keystone XL Pipeline, as well as the locally
controversial pipeline project that would go through northern Rhode Island
is attempting to use the Rhode Island Good Neighbor Energy Fund to “greenwash”
some of the stink off their reputation.
Greenwashing
is a decades old ploy by environmental bad guys to try to split their opponents
by making donations to good causes, such as the Good Neighbor Energy Fund, and
to conservation groups (e.g. Nature Conservancy, National Wildlife, Audubon,
etc.).
Wal-Mart
does this all the time by, for example, making donations
to groups like Charlestown’s RI-CAN, even though Wal-Mart’s employment and
predatory business practices are part of the reason so many families need help.
In
this most recent incident, TransCanada is donating $20,000 to the Good Neighbor
Energy Fund which helps people in crisis deal with their energy bills.
One
of the reasons why “greenwashing” is such a popular practice by companies like
TransCanada, Wal-Mart and others, is that for what is to them an incredibly
small amount of money, they get a disproportional amount of positive publicity.
TransCanada is
currently worth just under $30 billion and recently earned a gross profit of
more than $6 billion. They could hand out $20,000 every minute of every day for
a thousand days before they would run out of money.
I
am reluctant to criticize the Salvation Army, which runs the fund, from taking
dirty money to do good. But before anybody gets warm and fuzzy about
TransCanada and its tiny little gift to our state, bear in mind that, in
return, they want their way with the new pipeline.
Here’s
the text of the announcement of the grant.
The Rhode Island Good Neighbor Energy Fund, a cooperative effort between the energy companies in the state, The Salvation Army which administers the Fund and Rhode Islanders to assist those in temporary crisis with their energy bills, announces that it has recently received a $20,000 donation from one of its energy sponsors, TransCanada.
TransCanada owns and operates the Ocean State Power generating facility in Burrillville, Rhode Island. The donation to the Fund is part of a broader $60,000 investment by TransCanada to support energy assistance programs in Massachusetts and New Hampshire as well.
“TransCanada is proud to continue to support the Rhode Island Good Neighbor Energy Fund,” said Stuart Ormsbee, Manager of Power Marketing for TransCanada. “The assistance the Fund provides to residents who need help meeting their electric and other utility bills is critical during this challenging winter season.”
The 2014-15 goal of the Good Neighbor Energy Fund’s “Warm Thy Neighbor” campaign is to raise $500,000 and provide energy assistance to 1,500 families. “We appreciate the support of TransCanada and all the energy companies who sponsor the Fund,” said Major Wendy Kountz, Rhode Island State Coordinator of The Salvation Army. “Receiving this grant during the winter season is ideal as it will help satisfy the increasing requests for energy assistance.”
[TransCanada propaganda omitted - go to the link if you want to read it]
The Rhode Island Good Neighbor Energy Fund is a safety net for families who do not qualify for federal and state assistance programs such as LIHEAP. The Fund’s campaign relies on the generosity of individuals, families and local corporations for support.
The Salvation Army distributes contributions to families who qualify based on specific household income and family member guidelines.
Fund sponsors – Dominion Resources, Entergy RISEC, National Grid, Pascoag Utility District, Petro Home Services and TransCanada’s Ocean State Power – participate through various giving programs.
Rhode Islanders most often donate to the Fund via the yellow donation envelopes that are enclosed with energy bills through the end of March.
Those interested in donating to the Fund can also text “WARM” to 41444 on their mobile phone, send a check payable to “Good Neighbor” to The Salvation Army, 34 Commercial Street, Cranston, RI 02905 or visit www.rhodeislandgoodneighbor.org.
Since its establishment in 1986, the Good Neighbor Energy Fund has raised over $12.3 million and helped more than 42,750 families who have been in temporary crisis and in need of energy assistance. For more information about the Rhode Island Good Neighbor Energy Fund, please call (401) 490-0240 or visit www.rhodeislandgoodneighbor.org.