Quonset Park would ban waste-to-fuel plants

In Rhode Island, the practical effect is simple: the Quonset Development Corporation would be barred from allowing thermal waste conversion facilities inside the industrial park it oversees. The measure adds a new section to the law that governs the Quonset Development Corporation and applies to property it owns, manages, leases or otherwise controls.

What the ban covers

The definition is broad. It reaches facilities that use elevated temperatures in a controlled or oxygen-limited environment to chemically decompose or transform solid waste or sewage sludge into gaseous, liquid or solid products for energy generation, fuel production or industrial use. The text also says the restriction would cover similar chemical or thermal processes designed to turn solid waste, plastics, biomass or other feedstock into fuels, energy or chemical products.

A temporary wall around the park

The proposal would not last forever. The new section would expire on June 1, 2027, and the act would take effect upon passage. It also says nothing in the section should be read to interfere with activity that was already lawfully underway before the effective date.