After months of refused attempts to contact the Newport Preservation Society’s
Executive Director and Board, Climate Action Rhode Island is announcing a protest
against the Preservation Society of Newport County (PSNC), demanding they drop their
obstructionist lawsuit against offshore wind development in Rhode Island. “The lawsuit
threatens Rhode Island's ability to meet its clean energy goals, provide pollution free
energy to 350,000 homes, and end our dependence on foreign oil. Their Newport
Mansions are already worth over eighty million dollars and the organization is run by
some of Rhode Island's wealthiest people. Yet they are suing the Federal Government
in an attempt to win a multi-million dollar settlement from the offshore wind companies,
which is money Rhode Islanders will end up paying in higher electricity bills. They
refuse to discuss their lawsuit with us so we are taking our demands to them and
protesting their $750/per person fundraiser,” stated Climate Action Rhode Island. CARI
has already obtained hundreds of signatures on their petition (https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/wind-yes) against the lawsuit and is continuing to collect more.

Climate Action Rhode Island will be protesting outside of the Newport Mansions
on Thursday September 19th at 6:45pm (Details and RSVP here: https://actionnetwork.org/events/protest-newport-preservation-societys-lawsuit-against-clean-energy/). This protest comes
after Trudy Coxe, Director of PSNC, refused to participate in a panel discussion
organized by the Newport Energy and Environment Commission on the topic in August,
as described in a CARI Op-Ed in the Boston Globe recently. Last year, after the lawsuit
was filed, a coalition of environmental and labor leaders wrote a letter calling on PSNC
to drop the lawsuit.

Bart Lloyd, a CARI member and Newport Resident, states, “The Preservation
Societies' shamelessly greedy lawsuit against the wind farms is unconscionable. Make
no mistake about it - it's about the money. The idea that their view is impaired - or that
people will decide not to visit the mansions because of the wind turbines - is ludicrous.
The law firm has convinced them that they can get paid by suing - as this same law firm
has done for other clients - and the Preservation Society doesn't care that clean energy
consumers will end up footing the bill. The City of Newport was approached by the
same law firm to join in the same lawsuit - and they declined. Because it was not the
right thing to do.”

Nick Horton, CARI ‘Yes to Wind’ Campaign Organizer stated “The Town of New
Shoreham, Rhode Island was also promised a big cash payout from Cultural Heritage
Partners if they sued wind companies, but unlike the Newport Mansions, they cared
more about supporting the transition from fossil fuels and reducing pollution spewing
projects that have serious health, environmental and long-term economic dangers for
Rhode Islanders than their own self-interest.”