R 150
2000-H 8126
Enacted 4/6/2000


H  O  U  S  E     R  E  S  O  L  U  T  I  O  N

RESPECTFULLY REQUESTING THE ATTORNEY GENERAL TO INVESTIGATE THE POSSIBILITY OF TAKING LEGAL ACTION AGAINST PG&E's BRAYTON POINT station FOR POLLUTION TO MOUNT HOPE BAY

Introduced By:  Representatives Palumbo, Naughton, McCauley, Vieira and Reilly Date Introduced:  April 4, 2000

WHEREAS, Mount Hope Bay is a valuable natural resource for the citizens of Rhode Island and Massachusetts; and

WHEREAS, Populations of marine fish in Mount Hope Bay have declined dramatically since 1986 and remain at historic low levels; and

WHEREAS, The uptake and discharge of cooling water from PG&E's Brayton Point Power Plant in Somerset, Massachusetts has been implicated as a significant source of negative environmental impact to Mount Hope Bay; and

WHEREAS, The Brayton Point Power Plant is operating on an interim permit issued by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1997 which was intended to be temporary and to be replaced by a new permit in 1998; and

WHEREAS, Environmental impacts from the Brayton Point Power Plant have not been adequately addressed by the interim permit of 1997; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations hereby respectfully requests the Rhode Island Attorney General to investigate legal, legislative, and administrative strategies available to the State to deny the issuance of a new permit, take all available measures to ensure that discharges from the Brayton Point Power Plant do not contribute to the further degradation of the environment of Mount Hope Bay, and to determine what fines or measures for reimbursement are available to the State; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and he hereby is authorized and directed to transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to the Attorney General.

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