Compiled by TIM FAULKNER/ecoRI News
staff
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| Aaron Regunberg, Democratic candidate for Lieutenant Governor, endorsed by most environmental groups. Incumbent Dan McKee won't even answer a survey |
ecoRI News sent each candidate a
10-question primary preview focused on environmental issues related to Rhode
Island. Six candidates didn’t respond.
Here is a look at Rhode Island’s Lt.
Gov. primary (candidates listed in alphabetical order):
DEMOCRATS
WILLIAM E. BEELEY JR.
There is no contact information for Beeley.
There is no contact information for Beeley.
DANIEL MCKEE
Offices held: Lt. gov. 2014-present; mayor of Cumberland 2000-2014
Website: https://www.danmckeeforri.com
Offices held: Lt. gov. 2014-present; mayor of Cumberland 2000-2014
Website: https://www.danmckeeforri.com
McKee’s campaign didn't respond to
our questions.
AARON REGUNBERG
Offices held: House of Representative 2015-present
Website: https://www.aaronregunberg.com
Offices held: House of Representative 2015-present
Website: https://www.aaronregunberg.com
What do you consider the top
environmental issue facing Rhode Island? The climate crisis threatens every aspect of our lives. It’s
impacting our coasts and all the parts of our economy tied to the bay. It is
increasing dangerous storms and flooding throughout our state. It threatens our
health across the board. Our state needs to step up to address this crisis
head-on, and I’m excited to continue fighting for bold climate action to build
a sustainable energy future in Rhode Island for all of us.
What is your position on the
proposed Burrillville power plant? I’m
proud to have been the first state elected official to stand up and oppose this
dangerous project, and to have been engaged in the organizing against it from
the beginning. All the science says we should not be doubling down on
fracked-gas infrastructure, to say nothing of the economics. We don’t produce
any fossil fuels in Rhode Island, so every dollar we spend on imported fracked
gas and oil is a dollar we are sending out of Rhode Island, to Pennsylvania or
Texas or Saudi Arabia. By taking our clean-energy resources to scale, we can
lower energy costs and put thousands of Rhode Islanders to work at the same
time.
What is your position on the
proposed natural gas liquefaction facility at the Port of Providence? I have also been active in speaking out against the Fields
Point LNG proposal from day one. National Grid is asking that we — the
ratepayers — spend countless millions of our dollars to create this facility,
located right in the heart of a community that shoulders more than its fair
share of toxic infrastructure already, so that National Grid can increase their
profits by exporting more LNG.
Do you believe in anthropogenic
(human-caused) climate change? Yes,
and I am committed to fighting for bold climate action, as I have done in my
four years in the House of Representatives.
Do you agree with the assessment by
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that under the
worst-case scenario sea-level rise in Rhode Island could reach between 9 feet
and 11.5 feet by 2100?Yes. We’re
talking about an absolute cataclysm for our state, and we need to start acting
with urgency to address it.
What role should your office play in
addressing climate-change adaptation and mitigation? I believe Rhode Island needs to launch a Green New Deal with
major investments that will put thousands of Rhode Islanders to work taking
renewable energy and climate mitigation infrastructure to scale. To amass the
political capital necessary for such an ambitious proposal, we need to build a
powerful coalition with the necessary political capital to overcome the
entrenched fossil-fuel interests that hold so much sway at the Statehouse. I am
excited to use the bully pulpit, convening authority, and staff resources of
the lieutenant governor’s office to help build that blue-green alliance between
the environmental movement, the labor movement, and other relevant
constituencies that we’ll need to launch that Green New Deal.
Would you support a state or regional
carbon tax? I have been the lead sponsor and
advocate on our Energize Rhode Island carbon pricing proposal each year I’ve
been in the legislature, and look forward to continuing to elevate this fight
as lieutenant governor.
Do you support a statewide ban on
plastic checkout bags or other bans on plastics? Absolutely, and have co-sponsored this legislation in the
General Assembly. It’s also important that the planning around these measures
be rooted in environmental justice concerns that put working families and
vulnerable Rhode Islanders front and center.
What is your stance on the use of
open space for building new wind and solar energy projects? I believe we should be increasing our investment in
sustainable renewable-energy production here in Rhode Island. It is also very
important that this development is done in ways that are healthy and fair for
our communities and our green space, which is why I support amending some of
our clean-energy programs to incentivize projects on brownfield sites, industrial
areas, parking lots over green space.
REPUBLICANS
What do you consider the top
environmental issue facing Rhode Island? Hundreds
of years of poor stewardship of Rhode Island’s environment has left us with
uncontained landfills and contaminated abandoned industrial sites. The nature
of Rhode Island’s geography, with thick glacial aggregate deposits left over
from the last ice age, means that these all pose a risk to our groundwater, the
bay, and the health of all Rhode Islanders. Dioxins, VOC’s, lead, hexavalent
chromium, mercury, benzene, and toxins will not go away with simple social
changes, and they spread further and further every day, become more expensive
to address, and pose greater and greater risks to Rhode Islanders.
What is your position on the
proposed Burrillville power plant? The
Burrillville power plant is absolutely unnecessary because clean, sustainable
power could be brought in from the hydroelectric plants in Canada for a fraction
of the price. Presently, New Hampshire is blocking the transmission of this
renewable energy. The lack of inexpensive energy drives up the cost of
electricity and provides an incentive for corporations to build power plants
and corrupt politicians to force their location to be in the most profitable
location, no matter what the local citizens feel about the negative impact on
their rural environment and lifestyle.
What is your position on the
proposed natural gas liquefaction facility at the Port of Providence? As long as we are dependent upon fossil fuels, we should
seek the ones that cause the least damage to our environment. Of all fossil
fuels, natural gas is the cleanest and has the least impact on our environment,
so it should be encouraged over coal and diesel. There is concern about the use
of hydraulic fracturing “fracking” to increase production of natural gas.
Presently, 60 percent of our natural gas comes from wells that have been
enhanced with this process. But compared to coal and diesel, the
environmental impact is far less, especially when you consider that fracking is
used to increase production of the oil used to make heating oil. A steady
supply of natural gas will reduce the use of heating oil and coal, resulting in
a cleaner environment.
Do you believe in anthropogenic
(human-caused) climate change? There
is ample evidence that humans can cause both localized and widespread climate
change. The desertification of North Africa, once a lush grassland, is an
irrefutable example of how humans can cause climate change. Human activity,
such as urbanization, can cause “heat islands.” Any rational discussion on
anthropogenic climate change should be on how severe the effects are most
likely to be and how to best mitigate those effects.
Do you agree with the assessment by
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that under the
worst-case scenario sea-level rise in Rhode Island could reach between 9 feet
and 11.5 feet by 2100?Both
worst-case and best-case scenarios are extreme examples that call for sets of
highly unusual circumstances. The United Nations group IPCC that won the
Nobel Prize for their work on climate change predicted a 1-meter rise over the
next 100 years. Their recent models have suggested that the sea levels could rise
2 meters, though their models have not accounted for the “pause” caused by
reduced solar activity. For the sea level in Rhode Island to rise 3
meters, this would require a world population increase of 4 billion people and
an exponential increase in the consumption of fossil fuels and urbanization,
and no further continental rebound from the retreat of the ice
caps. Sea-level trends in Narragansett Bay over the last 100 years do not
suggest that we are likely to face a worst-case scenario.
What role should your office play in
addressing climate-change adaptation and mitigation? The office of lieutenant governor does not set policy
or vote on legislation. A lieutenant governor could offer his voice to the
discussion. But even with the worst-case scenario for Rhode Island being
at most a 3-meter rise by the end of the century, any concern about migrating
away will not be a good use of the limited influence a lieutenant governor
could bring to more time-sensitive environmental concerns.
Would you support a state or
regional carbon tax? A carbon tax is often proposed
to reduce consumption of fossil fuels, but we saw for ourselves that huge
increases in the price of gasoline have not diminished the demand for gasoline.
The only thing that will reduce the use of fossil fuels is the creation of new
technologies that demand less energy like LED lights and hybrid vehicles and
those that make alternative energy cost-competitive, like inexpensive,
high-output solar cells. I also reject the idea that we should give our already-overbearing
government even more control over our lives. Government should not make our
decisions for us.
Do you support a statewide ban on
plastic checkout bags or other bans on plastics? The problem isn’t the plastic, it is human
behavior. Many people fail to see the effects that their self-centered
decisions have outside of themselves. Banning plastic checkout bags or
other plastic is an attempt to solve social problems by giving government
control over our lives rather than holding people accountable for their
decisions. In previous years, social changes have been approached by education,
by setting good examples, of identifying behaviors and offering alternatives.
The use of government force is dangerous and often counter-productive.
What is your stance on the use of
open space for building new wind and solar energy projects? Provided the space is privately owned and the projects
are privately funded, the only concern would be the impact on the locality,
which means that the neighbors and other affected people would be able to get
their local zoning commission to require remediation, if needed.
Do you support smart-growth
development? Smart-growth development fits well
with Rhode Island’s traditional village culture and should be encouraged. Even if
it wasn’t for the environmental benefits, but because it also makes great
economic sense. Presently, our many zoning boards and master plans work in an
1970s mindset of ever-expanding suburbs. Educating our city planners about the
benefits of smart-growth development has a potential for a good result in
developing more livable communities.
INDEPENDENTS
ROSS McCURDY
Offices held: Unknown
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Ross-McCurdy-Independent-for-Lieutenant-Governor-247716995868002/
Offices held: Unknown
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Ross-McCurdy-Independent-for-Lieutenant-Governor-247716995868002/
McCurdy’s campaign didn't respond to
our questions.
JONATHAN RICCITELLI
Offices held: Unknown
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jonathan.riccitelli?lst=100013068976823%3A100000392020124%3A1536309913
Offices held: Unknown
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jonathan.riccitelli?lst=100013068976823%3A100000392020124%3A1536309913
Riccitelli’s campaign didn't respond
to our questions.
ZACHARY WARD
Offices held: Unknown
Website: Unknown
There is no contact information for
Ward.
MODERATE PARTY
JOEL HELLMAN
Offices held: Unknown
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joel.hellmann?fb_dtsg_ag=AdzYvAHa3hdRmez8rIdgE14dkJhHRo6DYwZ-7Deu3utuCg%3AAdxaKlV8JajMOHg6nyYE6BiW96CITVuLTs1XBtkbn3C36w
Offices held: Unknown
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joel.hellmann?fb_dtsg_ag=AdzYvAHa3hdRmez8rIdgE14dkJhHRo6DYwZ-7Deu3utuCg%3AAdxaKlV8JajMOHg6nyYE6BiW96CITVuLTs1XBtkbn3C36w
Hellman’s campaign didn't respond to
our questions.