Newport held a public workshop to gather information about a proposed moratorium on new natural‑gas hookups to Aquidneck Island, a measure supporters say would limit long‑lived gas infrastructure and improve resilience after a 2019 outage that left thousands without heat. The Energy and Environment Commission convened the session; no vote was taken.

The discussion mattered because Aquidneck Island sits at the end of an Algonquin transmission lateral and relies on a small number of supply options. Speakers said the Old Mill Lane liquefied‑natural‑gas (LNG) facility in Portsmouth provides backup but cannot serve the entire island during a major supply disruption, and that new gas connections add customers who would be affected in a future outage.

Supporters: climate and cost arguments

Jamie Rhodes and James Crowley of the Conservation Law Foundation urged the council to view a moratorium as a tool to manage a predictable transition away from gas. "Every new home or business that's hooked up to the gas system today is a home or business that needs to be converted again in the next decade or two," said James Crowley, senior attorney, adding that reducing demand could bring forward a date when the Old Mill Lane facility is no longer needed. CLF also warned of a possible ‘‘death spiral’’ in which customers leave the gas system, leaving higher per‑customer costs for those who remain.

A written statement from Dr. Murphy of the Brattle Group, read into the record by an Energy and Environment Commission member, argued that new gas hookups install infrastructure with a 50‑ to 70‑year lifespan at a moment when Rhode Island law and recent studies call for widespread electrification to meet decarbonization targets. The statement said new gas service lines typically cost $10,000 to $20,000 to install and that cost is often socialized across utility customers, creating an economic bias toward gas that may not reflect long‑term societal costs.

Rhodes and Crowley emphasized that moratoria can be designed with exemptions and paired with targeted programs to lower electrification costs for low‑income households, and that state modeling shows heat pumps and other electric technologies will become more economical for many households in the 2030s.

Utility and city responses

Steve Boyajian, an attorney representing Rhode Island Energy, said the company has asked the Energy Facility Siting Board (EFSB) to solicit local input before imposing a moratorium and that Aquidneck Island's supply characteristics are unusual compared with the rest of the state. "There are things about Aquidneck Island that are unique in terms of its gas supply," he said, and he noted the companyis not currently seeking moratoria elsewhere.

Boyajian provided the utility's five‑year demand forecast for the islandroughly 0.25% annual growth, or about 1.25% over five yearsand said many new requests for service undergo multiple technical reviews before approval. He also said some pending commercial requests (for example a marine‑trades manufacturer) are under evaluation.

City staff described local permitting and pavement impacts from new gas services. "We approve about 160 physical alteration permits from the utility every year," said Bill Wardman, deputy public services director and city engineer; about 58 gas‑service requests had been logged so far in 2025, Wardman said. He noted that repeated street cuts shorten pavement life and that the city coordinates timing of main replacements with roadway reconstruction when possible.

Public comment and equity concerns

Public commenters included residents and advocates. Martha Klein, a registered nurse and volunteer with Sierra Club Connecticut, urged the council to consider health impacts of indoor and local air pollution from combustion appliances. "Gas moratoriums lead to fewer cases of asthma and other negative health consequences," she said.

Councilors repeatedly raised equity and affordability questions: retrofit costs for older homes, how renters or low‑income residents would be supported, and whether Newport should be an early adopter if neighboring Portsmouth and Middletown decline moratoriums. Jamie Rhodes and Tina Munter of Green Energy Consumers Alliance said moratoria could be paired with targeted funding, phased approaches and exemptions for critical industrial uses.

Technical limits and statewide context

CLF and other presenters pointed to the state's climate law (the Rhode Island 2021 Act on Climate) and ongoing Public Utilities Commission "Future of Gas" proceedings as context for local choices. CLF noted Old Mill Lane could supply somewhat more than half of the island's roughly 12,000 gas customers in a total supply disruption, leaving the remainder vulnerable in very cold conditions.

Boyajian and others said the EFSB asked for local feedback before acting and that any moratorium proposal would likely be shaped with exemptions and implementation details. City staff noted the state updated the building code in August 2025 to require new construction be "electric‑ready," a change that reduces some transition costs for future new construction.

What's next

No formal action was taken. Councilors said they would consider the information with attention to equity, infrastructure impacts and forthcoming state reports, including the PUC future‑of‑gas docket and the state's climate action strategy. The EFSB has solicited local input and may design any moratorium with phased implementation and carve‑outs. The council and commission indicated they will continue public outreach and seek further technical data before taking a formal vote.

Sources: statements and presentations at the Newport Energy & Environment Commission workshop; written statement from Dr. Murphy (Brattle Group) read into the record; remarks by James Crowley and Jamie Rhodes (Conservation Law Foundation); statements by Steve Boyajian (attorney for Rhode Island Energy); remarks from city staff including Bill Wardman and Teresa Crane; public comments from meeting attendees.