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ENV/PHL 334 - Environmental Justice: Home

Purpose of this Guide

This guide will help you with the research for your windfarm project. From your professor:

Wind Farm Project: 

Two offshore wind farms – by South Fork Wind and Revolution Wind – have been approved off of the coast of Rhode Island. In response, the Preservation Society of Newport County is suing the federal government over the permitting process. Many local Newport residents have implicitly or explicitly supported this lawsuit with the “Save our Sea” campaign. 

https://www.wpri.com/news/local-news/east-bay/newport-preservation-society-sues-feds-over-approved-offshore-wind-farms/ 

https://www.change.org/p/green-oceans-petition-stop-offshore-wind-construction-on-coxes-ledge 

Few issues rival energy production and availability when it comes to environmental justice. As such, we will, as a class, explore, research, and articulate the various issues involved with the wind farm project.  

To start, we will explore local news sources to identify the key issues involved.  Once we get a sense of the issues in play, we will split into different research groups. We’ll aim to have 5-6 students in each group, which might split along the following lines (these are some initial examples that we can rethink or adjust as we go):  

  • The costs and benefits of wind power  
  • The comparative costs and benefits of the energy sources wind power is set to replace (coal, gas, etc.) 
  • The impact on wildlife  
  • The economic impact (including job creation, the fishing industry, etc.) 
  • The potential impact on the tourist industry 

Scholarly and Policy Sources: Verifying claims

ENV/PHL334 Class 2—Verifying Claims 

Class Goals: find sources that make a claim about your topic, verify or refute claim by searching for sources on the topic in three search tools: Google Scholar, Harvard Think Tank Search, Library’s Article Search.

  1. Research Round 1: (10 minutes)
    1. try search phrases out in Google,
    2. post at least one source per person to Google column.
    3. In comments, post claim made by source on your topic
  2. Research Round 2: (10 minutes)
    1. Go to Google Scholar,
    2. Learn how to get citations from Google Scholar
    3. Search for sources that address claim in Google Scholar,
    4. In comments, summarize source findings on claim
  3. Research Round 3: (10 minutes)
    1. Harvard Think Tank search
    2. Think tanks have reports, blog posts, data. All teams might not find materials in this search tool. If not, modify search terms (ask librarian for suggestions), try other types of credible sources such as government sources. 
    3. Practice finding reports that address claim in a think tank or other sources
    4. In Comments, summarize source findings on claim.
  4. Research Round 4: (10 minutes)
    1. Library’s article search

b. How to get citations and permalinks

c. Practice finding articles using very few words that address claim

d. In comments, summarize source findings

6. Class Discussion: Observations about each search tool

 

Group Padlets:

https://padlet.com/salvelibrarian/ENV334Energy

https://padlet.com/salvelibrarian/ENV334Tourism

https://padlet.com/salvelibrarian/ENV334Wildlife

https://padlet.com/salvelibrarian/ENV334JobImpact

https://padlet.com/salvelibrarian/ENV334Legal

Local News: Research on RI windfarm projects

Researching the controversy over windfarms in Rhode Island: 

For this phase of the project, your goal should be to understand the issues surrounding wind power projects off the coast of Rhode Island, including the arguments of all of the major players-- the companies installing the turbines and delivering the power, the government officials, the local industries, civic groups, and prominent local citizens. 

  1. Find news articles, reports, statements from government officials and agencies, and websites about the issues surrounding windfarms that will be built off the coast of Rhode Island.
    • post 1 article to the class research padlet.
    • If someone else has already posted your article, please post a different one.
    • You may not find your key player in one article-- you may have to read other articles to find a key player. 
  2. In reading the articles, identify key people, organizations, and companies who are engaging in the debate.
    • post at least one major player, plus a sentence about their argument, in the class research padlet. If someone has already posted your major player, try not to post the same people or organizations twice-- keep reading and researching until you identify all the interested parties in this issue. 
  3. Identify key players' claims on all sides of the issue.
    • While reading, keep a lookout for major players' assertions about the impacts, positive and negative of the windfarms. Post these assertions to the class research padlet. Try not to post the same claims twice. At a future class, we will focus on verifying these claims. 

While Googling for your news sources, keep an eye out for articles in these local news sources, as well as state and local government sources: 

Newport's local daily newspaper: open web | library subscription (if you hit a paywall) 

Rhode Island and Providence's local daily newspaper: open web | library subscription (if you hit a paywall)

 Rhode Island TV news source: open web

Newport's weekly newspaper: open web

 RI news source with a pro-environmental activist perspective: open web

RI Public Radio, also reports stories online: open web

 Newspaper for Portsmouth and other towns in the "East Bay"/Sakonnet River area: open web

 Non-profit RI-focused news source established in 2023 to fill the void in local and state government reporting left by closure and decimation of local newsrooms: open web

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