Rhode Island House Approves Ambitious Climate Change Bill

PROVIDENCE, RI — The Rhode Island General Assembly took another step forward in the fight against climate change. On Tuesday, the House of Representatives approved a bill, identical to one passed in the Senate last week, that, if approved, would require that the state reach net-zero emissions by 2050.

The legislation updates the state's current climate emissions reductions goals, making them more ambitious and enforceable. The bill requires that the state develop a plan for all facets of the economy to reduce emissions, under the following schedule:

• 10 percent below 1990 levels this year
• 45 percent below 1990 levels by 2030
• 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2040
• Net-zero by 2050

Rep. Lauren Carson, the bill's House sponsor, called the legislation "a meaningful promise to our children that we will not continue destroying the earth they are inheriting."

"It lays the groundwork for long-range planning, committing to a practical, 30-year strategy for winding down carbon pollution alongside the rest of the developed world and embracing the new, cleaner technologies that become more effective, available and affordable each year," the Newport Democrat said. "The benchmarks in this bill align with the goals agreed to by world powers — including the United States, at that time — in the Paris Agreement."

The bill also calls for the state's Executive Climate Change Coordinating Council to update the plan for carbon reduction every five years and include measures to make sure the transition to a greener economy is an equitable one. The bill also calls for feed insecurity to be considered in the climate change planning process.

If signed into law, the bill would require the creation of an online transparency dashboard, which would track emissions reductions and source of energy, by year. If the state did not reach its benchmark by 2025, the Rhode Islanders would have the right to take legal action in Providence Superior Court.

"The Ocean State, which is already suffering from flooding as a result of rising seas, must be part of the important planning to stop disastrous global warming," Carson continued. "Taking these steps will help us demand industrial change, capture federal funding and help Rhode Island emerge as a world leader in the explosively expanding green economy."

The lawmaker went on to assure Rhode Islanders that the bill is a long-term planning mechanism, and does not call for business owners, property owners or drivers to take any specific actions.

"This bill is long-range planning, a broad commitment that the state will be part of the worldwide effort in the coming decades to adopt clean energy policies and encourage the production and use of green technology," Carson explained. "Nothing in it requires anyone replace their home heating system, for example. Our commitment creates the demand from industry, and will result in more green technology becoming the affordable choice for consumers."

The bill now moves to the Senate, which approved its companion legislation last week.

Related: RI To Reach All-Renewable Electricity By 2030 Under Proposed Law