Rhode Island Governor Signs 'Act On Climate' Into Law

NEWPORT, RI — Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee signed the state's new, ambitious climate bill into law by the state's iconic coast this weekend.

Surrounded by state leaders, the governor ceremonially signed the bill into law at Bowen's Wharf in Newport on Saturday. The bill ambitiously updates the state's climate-emission reduction goal, aiming to reaching net-zero by 2050.

• This year: 10 percent below 1990 levels
• 2030: 45 percent below 1990 levels
• 2040: 80 percent below 1990 levels
• 2050: net-zero emissions

"With four hundred miles of coastline, urban and rural coastal communities, fishing and agricultural industries, the Ocean State is on the frontlines of the climate crisis," McKee said at the signing. "The Act on Climate represents a commitment that not only addresses a moral imperative, but also presents a platform to enhance our economy, public health, environmental equity, and natural environment. I look forward to working with the General Assembly, the congressional delegation, local communities, small business, labor, advocates, and other stakeholders to ensure those efforts create affordable and sustainable pathways toward a net-zero climate emission future."

Here's what other state leaders had to say about the state's newest legislation.

After its people, our state’s greatest resource is its natural environment. It is up to us to protect it for future generations. Passage of the 2021 Act on Climate into law signals that we, collectively as a state, are taking meaningful and sustained action to address climate change – the greatest threat to our environment and way of life. I applaud the Governor, General Assembly, and Rhode Islanders from across the Ocean State in working to pass this watershed legislation into law.

Attorney General Peter Neronha

I am immensely proud to celebrate the enactment of this landmark environmental legislation, and grateful to my colleagues in the General Assembly, the vast majority of whom enthusiastically supported it. Here in the Ocean State, and particularly in my home city of Warwick, we suffer the effects of rising seas and increasingly intense storm surges that regularly damage homes, businesses and infrastructure. Rhode Island must join the global effort to address the climate crisis, and will directly benefit in many ways, not the least of which will be job creation in green industries. The Act on Climate puts Rhode Island on a path to a sustainable and prosperous future.

House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi

The Act on Climate is a plan to move with the urgency we need to stop pollution and use the clean technology and power sources that become more available and affordable every year. Its goals are totally achievable, and have the benefit of shifting energy dollars away from fossil fuels produced elsewhere to clean energy that can be produced here in Rhode Island. Just as Samuel Slater harnessed the power of the Blackstone River to launch the American Industrial Revolution, Rhode Island can once again use renewable power to lead the way as we address the urgent climate change crisis.

Senate President Dominick J. Ruggerio

The Act on Climate represents a strong commitment to the long-term health of our planet, as well as economic opportunity for our state. With this act, we are jumping to the leading edge of those states and nations that are changing the landscape of power generation. The Ocean State, which is already home to the nation’s first commercial offshore wind farm, is well-positioned for explosive growth in the green economy, and this commitment will fuel the creation of green jobs and clean industry, and help drive down the costs of environmentally sound technology. It’s exciting to make a commitment that will have such positive and profound environmental and economic effects for our state.

Sen. Dawn Euer, the bill’s Senate sponsor and the chair of the Senate Environment and Agriculture Committee

The climate crisis is an enormously important issue to Rhode Islanders, and the Act on Climate finally takes decisive action to address it. Rhode Island will now at last create specific, evolving, science-backed plans to wind down carbon output and ramp up renewables, with public input, environmental justice and accountability. The extent to which our climate continues to change is within our control, and I am so proud that the Ocean State is standing among the leaders of the world in making this commitment to our planet and to future generations.

Rep. Lauren H. Carson, the bill’s House sponsor

Governor McKee’s signing of the Act on Climate puts Rhode Island on the right track. The Department of Environmental Management is eager to work with partners, businesses and community members to make sure we design and support programs that – like the rising tide – give everyone a boost when it comes to cleaner future. The impacts of climate change are here now, and we know that being smart and strategic about how to grow greener will result in jobs and healthier communities. I am proud of the legislators and advocates who led work on this legislation and I am eager to work with the Governor on the plans and programs to achieve the goals of the Act on Climate.

Janet Coit, the director of the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management

Read more: Rhode Island General Assembly Approves 'Act On Climate'