Lobbyists Prove Influential In RI Energy Debate

"I have concerns that we just don't know what we're dealing with," said Rep. Laurence Ehrhardt, R-North Kingstown, who fumed when the House Committee on the Environment and Natural Resources was asked to vote on a major amendment aiding the construction of a 100-turbine wind farm miles off the Rhode Island coast with just minutes to study it.

"Having it plopped in front of us, moving for passage before opening the document, that's just plain wrong," Ehrhardt said.

Few of the lobbyists involved in the debate were willing to talk publicly about their work. Not surprisingly, the biggest lobbying payouts have been made by the company with the most at stake: New Jersey-based Deepwater Wind LLC, which spends at least $10,000 monthly, according to state records.

Last year, Carcieri's administration selected Deepwater Wind as the developer it wants to see build a small wind farm off Block Island and a second, roughly 100-turbine project around 15 miles off the coastline.

Despite getting an initial go-ahead from Carcieri, the firm faced a major problem: no major customer had promised to buy the power. Without a big buyer committed over the long-term, getting investors to finance the project would be difficult.