Carcieri’s staff, clean energy group to meet

Governor Carcieri said yesterday that his staff is meeting with the Rhode Island Alliance for Clean Energy to listen to their concerns about a proposed wind farm off the shore of Rhode Island. The Journal reported Tuesday that the group, founded by four Aquidneck Island residents, has launched a fund-raising drive in an effort to derail Carcieri’s plans to bring in a private developer to build a large-scale wind farm. Among the group’s claims is that Carcieri’s support for building a wind farm has been influenced by donations made to his campaign by employees of a wind-farm developer.

In an interview yesterday at an event at American Power Conversion, the governor said that his chief energy adviser, Andrew Dzycewicz, will meet with the group. Carcieri also said he knows the group’s leader, Anthony G. Spiratos. “People have different opinions,” the governor said. “What I find offensive, frankly, is to say that a few contributions –– I don’t even know who these people are, when you’re running a campaign, lots of people contribute –– the notion that I am somehow influenced by contributions is absurd. I believe this is something we need to do, or see if we can do.” The governor said that there are six or seven wind-farm developers who have expressed interest in submitting a proposal for an offshore wind farm. The deadline for submissions is May 16.

Aldi opens second R.I. store in Cranston

Aldi, a Germany-based supermarket chain, opened its second market in Rhode Island yesterday at 1138 Pontiac Ave. in Cranston. The company opened its first Rhode Island store in March at 444 Quaker Lane in Warwick. Aldi is smaller than a typical supermarket and carries about 1,300 products, many of them private label. The company says that because it doesn’t offer the frills of its larger competitors, its prices are lower. It says it plans to open stores in East Providence and in the former Valueland property on Smith Hill in Providence.

Middletown business wins Navy contract

Systems Engineering Associates Corp. (SEA CORP), of Middletown, has won a $ 6.4-million contract to support the Naval Undersea Warfare Center in collecting navigation, oceanographic and target data aboard submarines. The work will support Navy self-contained, portable microprocessor-based systems designed to obtain data from existing systems to collect, record and distribute data during submarine deployments for worldwide charting efforts and post-deployment analysis. SEA CORP, founded in Newport in 1981, also has an office in Groton, Conn., and employs 300 engineers, scientists, technicians and management support workers.

Hampton opens inn and suites in Smithfield

Hampton, the national brand of mid-priced Hampton Inn and Hampton Inn & Suites hotels, yesterday opened a new property, the 101-room Hampton Inn and Suites Smithfield, at 945 Douglas Pike. The new property is the first Hampton Hotel to open in the northern Rhode Island area. Several public officials and business leaders attended the event.

Conn. Hires Maine’s jetport chief

The director of Maine’s Portland International Jetport has been named administrator of Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Conn. Jeffrey Schultes starts work June 2 at Bradley, which, with about 7 million passengers yearly, is New England’s second-largest airport behind Logan International in Boston. Gov. M. Jodi Rell says Schultes understands the intricate challenges of serving travelers, businesses and others who rely on Bradley’s services. Stephen Korta, the acting airport administrator, will return to his post as the state Department of Transportation’s aviation administrator when Schultes starts work.

Webster Financial joins Dow Jones index

Waterbury, Conn.-based Webster Financial Corp., (NYSE: WBS), the holding company for Webster Bank, NA, has been added to the Dow Jones U.S. Select Dividend Index effective at the start of trading on May 8. With $17.2 billion in assets, Webster has branches in Barrington, Cranston, Middletown, Pawtucket, Providence, Warwick and East Providence, with ATMs in several Walgreens drugstore sites.

KVH introduces new navigation system

Middletown-based KVH Industries Inc., working in close cooperation with leading global positioning system manufacturer NovAtel Inc., has introduced a self-contained navigation system that combines fiber-optic gyro-based inertial measurement technology from KVH with GPS technology from NovAtel. The new device provides precise position on a continuous basis, even during periods where GPS signals are blocked by natural or man-made obstructions or conditions. It is designed for demanding mobile commercial applications, such as dynamic surveying, precision agriculture, container-terminal management and autonomous vehicle navigation.

NanoSteel re-launches its Web site

Providence-based NanoSteel Co., a producer of nanostructured steel alloy surface technologies for industrial applications, has re-launched its Web site, www.nanosteelco.com, which features a new design, easier navigation and several new content enhancements. “NanoSteel is an evolving company that is currently expanding its application engineering and customer services,” said Dave Paratore, president and chief executive officer. “The Web site reflects this with a new design that’s easier to navigate and provides quicker access to information. It will continue to be updated with new information as we introduce new products services.”

Amgen stockholders approve resolution

Stockholders at the annual meeting this week of drug giant Amgen, which has a plant in West Greenwich that manufactures Enbrel, a rheumatoid arthritis drug, approved a nonbinding resolution recommending that the company eliminate the supermajority voting requirements in its bylaws and certificate of incorporation. The proposal received about 78.7 percent of votes cast ‘For’ the proposal. Shareholders also reelected these directors; David Baltimore, Frank J. Biondi Jr., Jerry D. Choate, Vance D. Coffman, Frederick W. Gluck, Frank C. Herringer, Gilbert S. Omenn, Judith C. Pelham, J. Paul Reason, Leonard D. Schaeffer and Kevin W. Sharer. With the reelection of these directors, Amgen has 11 directors. Amgen (AMGN:Nasdaq) is based in Thousand Oaks, Calif.

No penalty for Vermont Yankee plant

The Vermont Yankee nuclear plant in Vernon will not be penalized for allowing a cooling tower to degrade to such an extent that it collapsed, spilling thousands of gallons of water. The federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission has instead issued the plant a “noncited violation” for not following nuclear industry recommendations for preventing the problems that led to the collapse last August. “We looked at it in terms of nuclear safety, and there was no real significance involved,” said Neil Sheehan, spokesman for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Northeast regional office. The cooling tower collapse led to dramatic photographs of the six-foot pipe spewing water. It also led to heightened public concern about the condition of the 36-year-old reactor and it prompted Gov. Jim Douglas to support an independent review of the plant as it seeks a 20-year license extension.