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Rhode Island fights global warming

Assembly passes pollution cuts

At the end of a marathon, 15-hour session, the Rhode Island General Assembly passed a measure to cut our global warming pollution. The bill was signed into law by Gov. Carcieri on July 2.

The new law, which was backed by Environment Rhode Island and our allies in the environmental, faith and academic communities, ensures that Rhode Island will participate in the nation’s first regional program to reduce global warming pollution from power plants.

“Global warming is, in my opinion, the most profound environmental problem we face, and it must be confronted aggressively. Cutting global warming pollution from power plants is a big victory, but we still have more work to do,” said lead House sponsor Rep. Art Handy (Cranston).

Tipping the scales

In the days leading up to the final vote, Environment Rhode Island called a press conference to release a new research report called “Tomorrow’s Energy Today.” The report found technologies that are feasible today could reduce our energy consumption by 18 percent and our region’s emissions of carbon dioxide by at least 20 percent.

Lt. Gov. Elizabeth Roberts, who joined advocates, legislators and concerned citizens at the press conference to release the report, said, “fighting global warming by changing the way that we both produce and consume energy here in Rhode Island is something to which I am wholly committed.”
 
When Gov. Carcieri received the bill from the General Assembly he promptly signed the bill into law saying, “When I made the decision to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative last year, I wanted to protect Rhode Islanders from higher energy costs while also participating in this important effort to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. This greenhouse-gas legislation buttresses my plan and builds on my administration’s long track record of reducing pollution from cars, buildings and power plants.”