Fossil Fuels
Past calendar year, a broad coalition of nearby environmental justice activists – led by the People’s Port Authority, the Racial and Environmental Justice Committee, and Sunrise Motion Providence – held a demonstration outdoors the property of Home Bulk Leader Christopher Blazejewski (Democrat, District 2, Providence).
This was done, reported activists then due to the fact in vocation as a company attorney, Representative Blazejewski has individually labored on behalf of fossil fuel providers. In 2015, he represented Just one Energy Inc., one of the premier wholesale petroleum distributors in the Northeast. He represented them once again in a different circumstance in 2016. Then, the next yr, he added a different fossil gas business to his listing of clients by representing Energy Crafters Inc., an oil and fuel organization additional normally identified as Citgo.
Consultant Blazejewski also accepts marketing campaign donations from the fossil gas sector. On December 15, 2021, for case in point, he received a generous marketing campaign donation from Nicholas Hemond, the lawyer representing Sea-3 LLC, an oil enterprise that operates a propane terminal in the Port of Providence. The timing was not a coincidence. Sea-3 experienced just lately asked for permits to make an huge new storage facility for five hundred thousand supplemental gallons of liquid propane. Appropriate close to the exact time, Blazejewski also accepted marketing campaign donations from Christopher and Bruce Waterson from Waterson Terminals LLC, the business that manages the Port.
There are some pretty transparent good reasons why oil and gas services in the Port would be eager to reward Bulk Leader Blazejewski with huge campaign donations final year. A couple months before the donations, a coalition of nearby weather justice businesses launched laws to shut down corporate polluters in the Port of Providence. The Port, which is found inside of a predominantly BIPOC and functioning-course neighborhood, is packed with fossil gasoline services which include Sea-3, Blazejewski’s fiscal patron. These businesses have pumped so much air pollution into the close by neighborhood that little ones escalating up on the Southside of Providence are at extremely high danger of developing serious bronchial asthma.
The laws released by the environmental justice coalition would have shut down company polluters in the Port, like Sea-3, and a massive Shell Oil facility. The bill would have also established a funding stream for environmental remediation jobs for nearby neighborhood citizens like putting in air filtration units and changing direct pipes. Blazejewski steadfastly opposed the legislation and sooner or later succeeded, through his highly effective role as Residence Majority Leader, in blocking the monthly bill.
In other text, Consultant Blazejewski killed laws that would have guarded young children in South Providence from choking on fossil gas pollution although he was taking campaign donations from the very similar oil and gas firms pumping that pollution into their lungs.
Large Pharma
In addition to functioning on behalf of the fossil gas field in his legal career, Representative Blazejewski also represents major pharmaceutical providers. He is presently symbolizing Luna Prescription drugs, a corporation that’s remaining sued for false advertising and marketing. The corporation allegedly ran a focused ad marketing campaign built to trick couples who ended up attempting to have kids into getting a mix of untested drink mixes in its place of Food and drug administration-authorised fertility medication. Luna Prescribed drugs claimed that their nutritional supplements greater fertility when, in fact, the treatment does very little of the kind, according to a significant course action law fit introduced by the victims of the alleged phony marketing marketing campaign
Attorney Christopher Blazejewski is the law firm symbolizing the corporation.
Luxurious True Estate Developers
This previous June, Agent Blazejewski voted for a bill that permits luxury housing developers to prevent shelling out taxes. Particularly, the invoice would prolong distinctive tax exemptions to the development firm turning the Superman developing in downtown Providence into luxury flats. Of the 285 flats that will be developed in the constructing, only 57 are reserved for so-called “affordable housing,” which, in a dystopian twist, indicates they will be priced any where from $1,211 to $1,816 for each month. The remaining 228 flats will have no affordability protections in any way, so their selling prices will most likely be considerably larger.
The The greater part Chief apparently considered this improvement venture was worthy of an unusually generous expenditure in taxpayer pounds. The constructing builders were currently on monitor to acquire a full 20-12 months municipal tax exemption, but Consultant Blazejewski determined to vote for a bill that would increase the tax exemption for but a different 10 yrs.
However Consultant Blazejewski might current market himself as a progressive winner of very affordable housing, when one particular examines his concrete steps on housing, like the Superman Building, they closely resemble giveaways for luxurious genuine estate builders.
Uprise RI achieved out the Representative Blazejewski for a remark on this piece. His marketing campaign supervisor, Fil Eden, responded:
“Chris’ history combating for and passing progressive environmental and social justice policy speaks for alone. I have been an organizer and activist in RI for 18 many years. I have organized rallies for climate motion, led employees on strikes, sat-in on the Senate ground for abortion obtain, and structured civil disobedience for immigrant rights. Chris has been with us in each individual fight and has assisted us get key victories on all these difficulties. We’re heading to preserve preventing for our progressive values and the Rhode Island all of us have earned.“