Jamestown Press

http://www.jamestownpress.com/news/2010-09-09/Front_Page/Island_hosts_first_LNG_Congress_of_Councils.html
Takeaway quotes
"Whitehouse commended the efforts of local town councils and the congressional delegations from Rhode Island and Massachusetts, which he said are united against the Weaver’s Cove proposal. Whitehouse also warned the audience not to assume that efforts by Barney Frank and others to amend an energy appropriation bill will necessarily result in the termination of the LNG proposal. He described the U.S. Senate as being in a “state of considerable seizure,” and added that it is not particularly likely that any appropriations bills will pass in the near future."
 
"R.I. Attorney General Patrick Lynch expressed his frustration over the length of time he has engaged in opposing the Hess facility on behalf of the people of Rhode Island – describing it as “a fight of a thousand paper cuts.” He urged attendees to stand united because “I fear that we have a long, long, way to go,” he said. Lynch also reminded the audience that 70 transports a year of LNG tankers to the proposed facility would mean 140 bridge closures on both the Newport Pell and Mt. Hope bridges.
 
http://www.jamestownpress.com/news/2010-09-09/Editorial/Congress_of_Councils_focuses_attention_on_LNG.html

"Opposition to the Weaver’s Cove Energy LNG terminal proposed by the Hess Corporation – to be built in Mt. Hope Bay in Fall River, Mass. – gained muchneeded fresh momentum Wednesday morning. At least 10 Rhode Island communities were represented in the Congress of Councils held at the Jamestown Recreation Center. A quick head count revealed that there were about 120 people in the audience, with a healthy mix of interested citizens, public office holders and a number of state and federal political candidates. The event was headlined by several speakers: U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (U.S. Sen. Jack Reed was also on hand), R.I. Attorney General Patrick Lynch and LNG specialty lawyer Dianne Phillips. Also addressing the crowd were Save The Bay’s Jonathan Stone and Jamestowner Evan Smith of the Newport and Bristol County Convention and Visitors Bureau. Residents were cautioned not to ever assume the battle against the proposed LNG facility was over. Don’t give up, because Hess won’t be giving up, they warned. Bowen and Lynn, the two Jamestowners who organized the Congress of Councils, deserve high praise for their ongoing efforts to thwart the LNG proposal. We hope that they continue with their plans to keep the 10 communities organized as a group against the LNG facility. There is no doubt that united we can succeed in keeping our Bay as it should be. — Jeff McDonough
 
 
Middletown Patch

http://middletown.patch.com/articles/aquidneck-island-communities-send-officials-to-jamestown-to-fight-lng
Takeaway quotes
"This is a physical presence that demonstrates unity of the communities in opposition," said (Middletown Councilwoman Barbara) VonVillas, who spoke of town residents' concerns for environmental issues, as well as safety factors and the facility's impact to tourism. "We're certainly concerned about the safety factors," said VonVillas. "For one thing, with the Naval base, we have a strong military presence on the island. While the threat of terrorism might be small, there's still a threat that this project could become a possible target of terrorism."
 
Richard P. "Dick" Adams, a Planning Board member also running for a Middletown Town Council seat, described the event as "invaluable" for town officials to hear about the "complexities of the project," especially from those people who have been fighting it on the front lines. Particularly, he was impressed by the Fall River officials who shared information with the Congress of Councils, based on trial and error from what they've learned in the several years since they've fought LNG from setting up shop in their back yard."Fall River has been the pointy end of the spear in this fight," said Adams, after the event. "They have been successful fighting LNG so far. The speakers today were not just there to speak to the choir. It wasn't all just 'Kumbayah.' They were telling us exactly what we, as towns, needed to hear to stop (LNG)."
 
 
The Providence Journal

http://www.projo.com/news/content/LNG_OPPOSE_MEETING_09-09-10_LQJR81I_v17.21c93eb.html

Takeaway quotes -
“When the opposition is top-to-bottom, when it’s bipartisan, when it’s pretty much unanimous, it’s a pretty strong signal,” Whitehouse told the crowd gathered in the Jamestown Recreation Center, a building that has views of the proposed route that LNG tankers would take up Narragansett Bay to the terminal.