As Renewables Boom, Sparks Fly Over Natural Gas in Rhode Island

Burrillvill power plant Protesters standing outside the Rhode Island Statehouse. Credit Ambar Espinoza / RIPR

Even with the boom in renewable power, New England still gets about half its energy from natural gas – that’s a huge jump from 15 percent in 2000. The fracking boom in the U.S. meant a big investment in gas-fired power plants. But many environmentalists are pushing back,

worried about spending money on fossil-fuel infrastructure, just as renewables like wind and solar are taking off.

As part of the New England News Collaborative energy series, The Big Switch, Rhode Island Public Radio’s Ambar Espinoza looks at the controversy over whether to build another gas-fired plant in a small Rhode Island town.

Visit RIPR for the full story.