Raimondo’s Security Detail Sits in Idling Vehicles Creating Tens of Thousands of Pounds of CO2
Friday, January 10, 2020
Governor Gina Raimondo has been a leading advocate for policies to slash the production of greenhouse gases, but one place the message has not hit is her driveway.
For the past five years, her Rhode Island State Police detail sits nearly every night for 10 plus hours idling in a State Police vehicle outside her home. Conservatively, State Troopers have sat idling in State Police vehicles for more than 15,000 hours.
Troopers tell GoLocal that security details are not allowed to enter Raimondo's home during the evening security assignments.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTAccording to state records secured by GoLocal regarding the cost and staffing during her first two years as Governor, Raimondo's Rhode Island State Police staffing costs taxpayers on average $40,000 a month. That cost did not include the cost of the gasoline consumed while idling during the security assignments. But, the fiscal impact is only part of the story.
The vehicles stationed at Raimondo's home include full-sized SUVs, standard sedan cruisers, small SUVs and even some hybrid vehicles.
One Raimondo critic calls the behavior elitist and hypocritical.
Raimondo is the first Governor in Rhode Island to request 24-hour security coverage. Under previous administrations, governors received 24-hour protection for limited periods of time. Governor Bruce Sundlun received full-time coverage after his administration closed the credit unions in 1991, during the banking crisis. In addition, on a few occasions, Governor Donald Carcieri had round-the-clock coverage due to specific security threats.
Lead By Example
Raimondo over the years has been an advocate for new policies for climate control including creating new goals and new taxes.
In December of 2015, Raimondo issued an executive order titled “Lead by Example” calling for energy efficiency and clean energy. This involved:
- Committing State government to obtaining 100% renewable energy by 2025.
- Requiring State agencies to reduce energy use by 10% by 2019.
- Requiring the State fleet to purchase a minimum of 25% zero-emissions vehicles by 2025, to name a few of the goals.
Raimondo Advocating Gas Tax Increase in 2020
More recently, Raimondo has signed on to a regional approach to cut back the production of greenhouse gases — the Transportation and Climate Initiative (TCI) now has 13 participating jurisdictions: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and the District of Columbia.
WATCH A JOINT PRESS CONFERENCE BETWEEN GOVERNORS LAMONT, BAKER & RAIMONDO HERE
A number of New England governors are beginning to peel away from the coalition. Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont on Tuesday during an interview on a Connecticut Public Radio Station announced that he is backing away from the state’s commitment to a regional climate initiative that’s already fraying over proposed gas price hikes.
“Raising the gas tax, which frankly is what many Republican states have done to pay for transportation, is 100 percent paid for by Connecticut residents and probably not the way to go,” Lamont said.
In December, Governor Chris Sununu announced that New Hampshire will not be participating in TCI, stating that under TCI, New Hampshire drivers would be forced to pay a significant new gas tax with little environmental benefit to the state.
"I will not force Granite Staters to pay more for their gas just to subsidize other state's crumbling infrastructure," said Sununu. "New Hampshire is already taking substantial steps to curb our carbon emissions, and this initiative, if enacted, would institute a new gas tax by up to 17 cents per gallon while only achieving minimal results. This program is a financial boondoggle and the people of New Hampshire will never support it."
This week, Vermont Governor Phil Scott also indicated doubts about the TCI.
One organization that has been criticizing the increase in gas taxes -- potentially more than $0.15 per gallon has been the Center for Freedom and Prosperity.
"There is currently an all-out attack from the left on the fossil fuel industry, and now the [Transportation and Climate Initiative] wants to punish people who use gasoline," said Mike Stenhouse, who heads the Center.
"These elitist leftists are hypocrites," said Stenhouse, of the Governor's support for TCI -- and constant idling of her state SUV.
"It's kind of like the gun control argument -- the Governor doesn't want people having guns, yet she has armed protection all the time," said Stenhouse.
"Even if the Governor had an electric or hybrid vehicle, I still wouldn't support her push for the TCI," he added.
Raimondo's Response
Raimondo’s office refused to answer questions about the issue.
GoLocal asked Raimondo’s office if the Governor thought the hours of idling State Police vehicles sends the right message to Rhode Islanders and refused to respond to questions about the environmental impacts of five years of security vehicles idling outside the Raimondo’s home.
The Raimondo administration would not answer:
The Governor is an advocate and regional leader on this issue of reducing greenhouse gases, how does this behavior balance with the narrative?
On the low sides of estimates, the production of CO2 is in the tens of thousands of pounds, what is the message this approach to security sends to the public in trying to gain their support for behavioral changes?
Those Governors that have overnight security around the country, have created offices or enclaves for security -- why hasn't the Governor?
And, from a cost standpoint, this idling actually increases the cost of security for the needless consumption of hundreds of thousands of dollars in gasoline consumption -- is this a good expenditure of state dollars?
“Questions about security protocol should be directed to the State Police,” Raimondo’s spokesman Josh Block emailed.
State Police Colonel James Manni declined to give comment.
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