Stop+Hess+LNG

Democracy and Active Citizenship Project

__Problem Statement:__
__Problem Statement __ (Vision)  Rhode Island will have clean, open, public waters for recreational use. (Issue Statement)  If the LNG tankers are permitted to enter Narragansett Bay, then the supertankers will arrive unannounced, which would cause unscheduled closings of both the Claiborne Pell Bridge and the Mount Hope Bridge. It would also require dredging of the Narragansett Bay, which would harm the habitats of many animals that reside there. (Method)  We will organize citizens of the community to urge politicians to support the bill that would prevent the building of the LNG plant and also stop LNG tankers from entering Rhode Island waters.

__Bill or Policy:__
**2010 -- H BILL # ** ======= LC01752 =======  **S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D **  **IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY **  **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11.5pt;">JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2010 ** **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11.5pt;">____________ ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11.5pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11.5pt;">A N A C T    <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11.5pt;">RELATING TO LNG TANKERS <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11.5pt;"> <span style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-indent: 0.5in;">__<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11.5pt;">Introduced By __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11.5pt;">: Sarah Smith and Christopher Clarke <span style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-indent: 0.5in;">__<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11.5pt;">Date Introduced __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11.5pt;">: January 6, 2011 <span style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-indent: 0.5in;">__<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11.5pt;">Referred To __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11.5pt;">: <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Title of Bill: **

**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-variant: small-caps;">2 ** **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-variant: small-caps;">3 ** **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-variant: small-caps;">4 ** **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-variant: small-caps;">5 ** **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-variant: small-caps;">6 ** **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-variant: small-caps;">7 ** **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-variant: small-caps;">8 ** **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-variant: small-caps;">9 ** **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-variant: small-caps;">10 ** **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-variant: small-caps;">11 ** **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-variant: small-caps;">12 ** **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-variant: small-caps;">13 ** **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-variant: small-caps;">14 ** **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-variant: small-caps;">15 ** **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-variant: small-caps;">16 ** **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-variant: small-caps;">17 ** **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-variant: small-caps;">18 ** **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-variant: small-caps;">19 ** **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-variant: small-caps;">20 ** **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-variant: small-caps;">21 ** **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-variant: small-caps;">22 ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-variant: small-caps;">  || __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Preamble __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">: whereas it has been proven that liquefied natural gas can be harmful to the environment of local fish and shellfish and since is dangerous to public safety for those who live on the bay and since the Mount Hope and Newport-Pell bridge would be closed unannounced. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">SECTION 1: Let the dredging of Narragansett Bay be prohibited by law so as to maintain the natural beauty of the State of Rhode Island and all life within the bay. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">SECTION 2: Let the closing of the Mount Hope Bridge and the Newport-Pell Bridge be forbidden by law so as to prevent a three mile traffic build-up and the decrease of revenue from the bridges. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">SECTION 3: Let the Narragansett Bay remain a recreational waterway rather than industrial so as to preserve its use to the residents. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">SECTION 4: Let the increase of taxation be prohibited for the operation and maintenance of the emergency infrastructure so as to not increase the taxes of local communities. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">SECTION 5: Let no ship pass under the bridges of Rhode Island without a 10 foot clearing so as to protect the passageways and those who travel on them. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> ||
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-variant: small-caps;">1 **

Planning Direct Action <span style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"> · Our goal is to stop the Hess LNG tankers from entering the Narragansett Bay because of the potential dangers that accompany them. <span style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"> · With our direct action, we will raise awareness in the communities that will be affected by the Hess LNG tankers. We hope to have more support from the people of the affected communities to help stop the tankers. <span style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"> · We will hand out flyers and pamphlets within the local communities that will be affected. We hope that these flyers will help spread awareness about this cause and will cause people to join in on the fight. <span style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"> · Hopefully this will bring awareness to the communities and inform the public of the situation. We hope the spread of knowledge will cause more people to join in to fight against the Hess LNG tankers. ** __<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 48pt; line-height: 115%;">STOP HESS LNG __ ** <span style="height: 2in; left: 0px; margin-left: 58.15pt; margin-top: 24.35pt; position: absolute; text-align: left; width: 2in; z-index: 1;">              <span style="height: 2in; left: 0px; margin-left: 265.15pt; margin-top: 24.35pt; position: absolute; rotation: 90; text-align: left; width: 2in; z-index: 2;">               <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 48pt; line-height: 115%;">
 * __Leaflet/ Flyer:__**

<span style="height: 2in; left: 0px; margin-left: 265.15pt; margin-top: 123.35pt; position: absolute; rotation: 180; text-align: left; width: 2in; z-index: 4;">              <span style="height: 2in; left: 0px; margin-left: 58.15pt; margin-top: 118.85pt; position: absolute; rotation: 270; text-align: left; width: 2in; z-index: 3;">               <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 48pt; line-height: 115%;">                <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 48pt; line-height: 115%;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 20pt; line-height: 115%;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 48pt; line-height: 115%;"> ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 36pt; line-height: 115%;">Stop Hess LNG tankers from entering the Narragansett Bay **

__Press Release:__
For Immediate Release Contact: Sarah Smith January 6, 2011 Home: 401-423-3372 <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 25pt;">Stop Hess LNG Tankers ** <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 14pt;">Join in on the fight against the Hess LNG tankers that could potentially enter Narragansett Bay ** <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 14pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16pt;">North Kingstown, RI – For my democracy project at North Kingstown High School, I wanted to involve myself with something that mattered to me. I chose to raise awareness to my peers about the potential dangers that the Hess LNG tankers could bring to Rhode Island waters as well as those who reside by it. This is a priority when it comes to issues because the dangers, such as ruining habitats of many sea creatures, are important to the marine life and those who are around it. I want to raise awareness to all of the communities in Rhode Island so that they can know the harm that the could be faced with if the LNG tankers were allowed in the Narragansett Bay <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16pt;">Christopher Clarke, a fellow protestor of Hess LNG, says “This is an issue that more people need to know about. The risks that we would be put in are dangerous and something needs to be done.” <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16pt;">Awareness needs to be raised for this topic, and that is why I will be handing out flyers and pamphlets on the topic in different communities to get more people to understand the risks. I will also have sample letters that can send to their local representative so that the representatives can know the opinion of the people. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16pt;">By sending these letters, we can spread awareness to other communities and stop the Hess LNG tankers once and for all. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16pt;">### <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16pt;">

__Letter to Elected Official:__
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> Sarah Smith <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> 137 America Way <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> Jamestown, RI 02835 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> (401) 423 3372 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">The Hon. Jack Reed <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">1000 Chapel View Blvd. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Suite 290 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Cranston, RI 02920 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Dear Mr. Reed: <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">I am a student attending North Kingstown High School, and I am currently participating in Dialogues in Democracy, which is a time where students from within the school research and present projects that will make the school, town, and state better. This year, my topic is preventing the tankers that hold liquefied natural gas (LNG) from entering the Narragansett Bay, which is a matter that I feel passionately about. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">If the LNG tankers were permitted into the bay, excessive dredging would be required, which would harm the habitats of many marine life, such as the winter flounder. With 140 unannounced transits, the Narragansett Bay would turn into an industrial waterway that, that would prevent it from continuing as a recreational place for the public. These reasons and more accumulate to the fact that the Hess LNG tankers should be stopped. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">I hope that this subject interests you, and that is why my partner and I invite you to Dialogues in Democracy on January 12, 2011 in the cafeteria at North Kingstown High School from 7-8 pm, 150 Fairway Dr, North Kingstown, RI 02852. At that time, we will be able to answer any questions that you might have and present you with our solutions to this problem. Our project will be set up amongst other projects that could interest you as well. I hope to see you there. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Sincerely, <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Sarah Smith <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">

__Letter to the Editor:__
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">To the Editor: <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Hess LNG is very harmful to the environment, and that is why awareness needs to spread amongst the communities in order to prevent it from damaging Narragansett Bay. If the LNG tankers were permitted into the bay, excessive dredging would be required, which would harm the habitats of many marine life, such as the winter flounder. There would also be 140 unannounced transits, which not only stop traffic on both the Newport and Mount Hope Bridge, but also turn the Narragansett Bay into an industrial waterway. These reasons and more accumulate to the fact that the Hess LNG tankers should be stopped. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">In order to prevent this monstrosity, the government needs to know how the people feel about this topic. That is why I am encouraging people to write to their representatives so that they can know the voice of the public. In the next couple of weeks, I will be in different communities with postcards that state the opposition of Hess LNG, ready to send. The people just have to sign and send them. This will create an influx of letters to the government and it will show them how the public feels about this topic. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">So I encourage people to get out on the street within the next couple of weeks to look for someone handing out postcards to spread awareness of the dangers of Hess LNG. I hope that you will support this bill and let your representatives know how you feel. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Sincerely, <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Sarah Smith

__Public Service Announcement:__
** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Public Service Announcement ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Radio Stations: 92ProFM, Coast 93.3, Lite Rock 105, Oldies Stations, Adult <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Script: <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Would you like unplanned traffic on the Newport and Mount Hope bridges? Would you like Rhode Island’s public waterways to be closed off from the public? How about excessive seabed dredging? If not, then join in on the fight against Hess LNG. Hess LNG, which stands for Liquid Natural Gas, is planning on building a natural gas plant in the Mount Hope Bay, which would require the use of Rhode Island waterways. If this bill is passed, and the plant it built, then there will be unannounced arrival of LNG ships which require the bridges to be closed causing major traffic. The public will be prohibited to use the waterways and must vacate the water when a ship arrives. Finally, these ships are so large that excessive seabed dredging will be required to allow these ships to pass. This dredging will cause habitat loss for several fish species and other marine life. Join us next week on Friday, January 21st in the fight against Hess LNG. People all over the state will hand out flyers to their neighbors in their community. Go online to <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">[|www.nkdemocracyproject.com] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> to download your flyers now!”

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 180%;">REMINDER: Dialogues for Democracy will be held at 7:00 PM Wednesday January 12th in the High School Cafeteria. You are required to be there.

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