The #MiddletownRI Town Council votes unanimously against a proposed moratorium on new natural gas hookups in town, saying the concept was not in the best interest of the community, its residents and businesses.
MIDDLETOWN COUNCIL — NATURAL GAS MORATORIUM “UNFAIR”
MIDDLETOWN, RI (OCTOBER 6, 2025) – The Town of Middletown is against a moratorium on all new natural gas connections on Aquidneck Island.
At a meeting Monday night in Town Hall, the Town Council voted 6-0 in opposition to a proposal to prevent new tie-ins to the existing underground network across the area.
The move was the latest by a local municipality to weigh in on the issue. Late last month, a split Town Council in Portsmouth opposed the moratorium, saying it was not in the public interest.
Published reports indicate the Newport City Council has not voted yet on the matter, asking to meet with the city’s Energy and Environment Commission before taking action.
“It makes no sense they’re not asking anybody further up the pipe to stop the connections,” council President Paul M. Rodrigues said. “Just us.”
“I think this is the easiest move…to make this go away,” council Vice President Thomas Welch III said. “It’s the lowest cost alternative to allow them to keep doing what they’re doing and it’s completely unfair.”
This summer, the state’s Energy Facility Siting Board floated the proposal to halt all new tie-ins to the existing natural gas system.
The goal was to reduce stress and demand on the system, particularly during peak winter months.
That’s when a facility on Old Mill Lane in Portsmouth can get called into service, potentially creating health, safety and quality of life issues for those who live nearby.
The situation with natural gas here reached a critical juncture in January 2019, when more than 7,000 customers across the island were left without service during extremely cold weather.
The outage was blamed on a combination of factors including high demand, a failed liquified natural gas facility and a bad valve on an interstate pipeline.
Looking to avoid similar problems, Rhode Island Energy has suggested a number of fixes since.
Public hearings were held in late August in Newport and Portsmouth for residents and businesspeople to offer input on the moratorium.
Opening the conversation Monday night, Town Administrator Shawn J. Brown said in addition to the need to move away from fossil fuels, the cost of converting homes and businesses from natural gas would be onerous. Based on current estimates, Brown said that figure was pegged at more than $50,000 apiece.
He also pointed to news that gas pipeline owner Enbridge announced plans recently to perform a $300 million expansion in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. That has the potential to help customers in Middletown — and the rest of the island — get natural gas service during peak periods.
And implementing a moratorium on new natural gas connections at a time when Middletown was looking to make the community more affordable was moving things in the wrong direction, Brown said.
Most of the council spoke up on the issue, saying they felt the town, its residents and businesses would be impacted unfairly by the moratorium.
“I definitely think we need to protect the residents and give them options because the cost of everything is going up,” Councilor Charlie Roberts said.
“This is stemming from their lack of investment in their infrastructure…” Councilor Chris Logan said. “So, we’re going to get punished as a community because they didn’t invest, but they still jack up the rates? No, absolutely not. Not on my watch. Fix it.”
Brown said ultimately, it was up to the Energy Facility Siting Board to decide on the request. At this point, he said it was unclear when those findings would be forthcoming.
To learn more about plans for the Old Mill Lane operation, documents and public feedback, visit https://mdl.town/OldMillLane online.
Document Link: https://mdl.town/NYCU-Moratorium-No
About Middletown
The Town of Middletown is a vibrant municipality located on Aquidneck Island, known for its scenic beauty, historic landmarks, diverse economy and strong sense of community. For more information about all we have to offer, visit MiddletownRI.gov online.
Media Contact
Matt Sheley
Public Affairs Officer
401-842-6543
msheley@middletownri.gov