To: the Editor—

In recent months, Deepwater Wind has aimed a public relations campaign at the public through advertising, direct mail, and public meetings providing information about the elements of the Block Island Wind Farm that are under their direct control. Additionally Deepwater has suggested information about the broader proposal that realigns Block Island’s electricity sources, much of which is outside of their control. When questioned directly, as was the case at last Saturday’s BIRA meeting, Deepwater openly acknowledges what they don’t know or don’t control. But otherwise, the suggestion is strong that if Block Island folks simply have faith and let the invisible benevolent hands of Deepwater, National Grid, the Rhode Island General Assembly, the governor, the Public Utilities Commission, and BIPCO work through the details, then we will pay less for electricity and we will be better off in the end. Sounds a bit naive, doesn’t it? Can we really get something for nothing?

Who is looking out solely for Block Island’s interest by doing the needed due diligence on this topic? Only one group has that responsibility to the community: our elected council. The work may be delegated to a consultant or an energy task force or the town manager but the responsibility cannot be delegated. Yet there is little information coming to the public from Town Hall beyond what we hear from Deepwater, and little reassurance that the council is fully engaged on the critical financial issues that will play out, either to our advantage or disadvantage. The community remains in blind faith mode while the captains of industry and state government encircle us.

Here are some of the things we don’t know about this project that will ultimately impact the bottom line of each electric bill?

What is our legislatively mandated higher pro rata share of the cable’s construction cost?

What is our cost exposure to future cable maintenance and repairs?

Are one or more diesel generators to be retained for backup in case of cable failure, or will they be abandoned? What are the costs or savings in either case?

How much backup capacity is enough, and who makes that decision?

What will be the service level agreement with the cable owner that prioritizes service restoration assuming a cable operational failure, assesses penalties, and awards compensation for costs arising from failure?

What is the ongoing cost for BIPCo to maintain and improve its on-island transmission and distribution network?

Is BIPCo’s technology and infrastructure suitable to physically hook up to the new power source, are upgrades necessary? Who pays and what is the cost?

There are many other cost impacts to be evaluated but I’m not adequately well-versed in this arena to know them all. Nor are most other people. This is why the Town Council needs to gain control of the due diligence. Perhaps they already have and the information is simply not being communicated, in which case the council needs to be more forthcoming.

Let me be clear that I am not speaking either pro or con about the Block Island wind farm. The gross public benefit of green power from offshore wind has a high component of subjectivity and opinion, including value judgments about aesthetics, conservation, life styles, and viewsheds. Those are generally among my personal priorities. However, I feel strongly that we are entitled as a community to understand the details of what we are getting into before the fact. And that includes the cost-benefit impacts of the choices we make, or those that are made for us. Whether the realignment of Block Island’s electricity future around a mainland cable and the BIWF yields a 5 cent per KWH reduction, a 20 cent reduction, or a 2 cent increase, we are entitled to know the cost-benefit impacts in detail.

Each of us needs to ask the Town Council to get out in front of these topics and lead us to clarity and sound decision-making.

David Lewis

Cooneymus Road