GAS BUSTERS
RHODE ISLAND
Who We Are
More about the creators of this site:
We are a team of volunteers through the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society. This semester, we have worked in collaboration with Gasbusters to continue testing for gas leaks, compiling gas leak data into maps, and producing this website. Our hope is that this website will serve as a database on gas leaks in Providence as well as a resource for people interested in learning more about the impact of gas leaks. If you are interested in volunteering or getting in contact with Gasbusters, please contact Climate Action Rhode Island.
The Team
Out of the many individuals who have helped progress this cause, here are a few special actors.
Gasbusters began testing for gas leaks in Providence following the lead of Gas Transition Allies, a group based in Boston, that discovered the link between dying trees and natural gas leaks. As a result of Gas Transition Allies’ tireless efforts, Massachusetts has some of the most progressive laws in the United States regulating gas leaks. Gasbusters Rhode Island is a group of community scientists who have dedicated themselves to testing for methane leaks in the Providence area. Additionally, the group advocates for reducing methane emissions and a transition to renewable energy sources, much like their predecessors in Gas Transition Allies.
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Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Gasbusters met weekly to test for gas leaks primarily in residential neighborhoods, using a combustible gas indicator (CGI) to read the percent methane gas in confined spaces such as drains and manholes. The group is quick to take action when they find leaks either reporting them to 911 or National Grid, depending on their severity. Gasbusters aims to inform local communities of detected gas leaks by posting signs with critical information as well as information on their organization. Due to the pandemic, Gasbusters tests for gas leaks less frequently, however, the problem of methane leaks persists. This website made through a collaboration between Gasbusters and students at Brown University. Its goal is to serve as a database of the detected leaks already found by Gasbusters as well as a resource for people interested in learning more about natural gas leaks in Providence.
Bob Ackley
Ackley is a former gas company employee and founder of Gas Safety USA, a company committed to detection of gas leaks and safe use of natural gas. Ackley helped Gasbusters Rhode Island get their start testing for natural gas leaks and provided the organization with a CGI.
Martina Muller
Muller is a postdoctoral research fellow at University of Rhode Island. Muller was one of the founding members of Gasbusters Rhode Island and led the weekly outings around Providence and Pawtucket, looking for methane leaks. Muller is an active member of Climate Action RI.
Gillian Kiley is a volunteer with Climate Action Rhode Island who has served on the leadership, recruitment and activation, and politics teams. She was also an active supporting member of the Land and Water Sovereignty Campaign, which helped defeat an effort to privatize the water supply that serves 60% of RI residents. She does strategic communications work for higher education institutions.
Climate Action Rhode Island (CARI)
CARI "is an action group focused specifically on the issue of climate change and what can be done on national, local, and individual levels. We are based in Rhode Island and are a local 350.org affiliate. New members are warmly welcome!” CARI founded Gasbusters to address natural gas leaks in the Providence area in order to mitigate the detrimental effects of excess emissions and the safety and health hazards gas leaks pose to humans and plants.