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Environment Rhode Island’s Fight Global Warming Now campaign is heading into the summer months, just as our elected officials are facing some critical decisions about cutting global warming pollution from power plants.
In January, during his annual State of the State Address, Gov. Donald Carcieri announced that Rhode Island would once again be a participant in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) to reduce global warming pollution from power plants. While Gov. Carcieri’s announcement was a significant victory, it is not the end of the story.
New laws are needed
In order for Rhode Island to successfully cut global warming pollution from power plants, the General Assembly must pass legislation to authorize the program. Legislation that would accomplish these goals has already been introduced at the General Assembly by Sen. William Walaska (Warwick) and Rep. Art Handy (Cranston). Environment Rhode Island will be working with our allies in the environmental, faith and academic communities to make sure the General Assembly passes this legislation this year.
Global problem, local impacts
Global warming is the most profound problem facing our environment and it must be confronted aggressively. Global warming will have significant impacts on Rhode Island’s environment, and unless action is taken to stop global warming, Rhode Islanders can expect the health of Narragansett Bay to be degraded, coastal flooding to increase, and summer smog to become more severe.
Environment Rhode Island Advocate Matt Auten puts the problem this way: “Our environment cannot afford any more delays in the fight against global warming. We need to fight global warming pollution now and Rhode Island has a critical role to play in that fight.”
Power plants: A good first step
Power plants are the second largest source of global warming pollution in RhodeIsland. In addition, because the federal government has not taken any action to reduceglobal warming pollution, it is criticalthat states like Rhode Island act now.
Once Rhode Island successfully implements a program to reduce global warming pollution from power plants, Environment Rhode Island will shift the focus of the campaign to building support for a mandatory program to reduce global warming pollution across the entire state.
Environment Rhode Island is also working with Rhode Island’s congressional delegation to ensure that Congress adopts meaningful and mandatory national policies to reduce global warming pollution. |
