Clean Energy Program News

For Immediate Release: Thursday, May 29, 2008

For More Information:  Matt Auten (401) 421-6535, Cell (401) 688-0878

General Assembly to Vote on Comprehensive Wind, Solar and Renewable Energy Legislative Package Today

Providence, RI—The Rhode Island House and Senate are set to vote today on a bipartisan comprehensive wind, solar and renewable energy legislative package that will put Rhode Island at the forefront of renewable energy development in New England.

The comprehensive package will spur the development of wind, solar and other renewable energy resources in Rhode Island by removing economic barriers to new development and providing a regulatory structure that will help projects win private financing. The legislation is designed to produce enough energy to power at least 130,000 homes with newly developed clean renewable energy. 

“The comprehensive wind, solar and renewable energy legislative package will help Rhode Island become a player in the renewable energy economy,” said Matt Auten, Advocate for Environment Rhode Island. “By supporting new projects at every scale-- from family farms, to municipal scale projects, to large scale developments like wind farms—every new renewable energy project built in Rhode Island over the next five years is likely to take advantage of this legislative package.”

 
Taken together the comprehensive package is designed to accomplish a multitude of objectives including:

• Creating new jobs for Rhode Islanders in the green economy
• Increasing Rhode Island’s level of energy independence
• Decreasing Rhode Island’s contribution to global warming
• Helping to stabilize National Grid’s increasingly volatile electric rates

A broad coalition of varying interests have supported the comprehensive wind, solar and renewable energy legislative package including renewable energy developers, installers and marketers, environmental groups, energy distribution companies, and labor unions. A partial list of businesses and organizations that have supported the legislative package in testimony includes:

Allco Renewable Energy Group, Bluewater Wind, Cape Wind, Clean Water Action, Conservation Law Foundation, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 99, Jobs with Justice, National Grid, People’s Power & Light, Ridgewood Power Company, SolarWrights

The bills that makeup the comprehensive wind, solar and renewable energy legislative package include:

House

House Bill  No.7916  SUB A

BY  Fox, Naughton, Rice, Handy, Segal

House Bill  No.7809  SUB A

BY  Segal, Rice, Lewiss, Kennedy, Gallison

House Bill  No.7806  

BY  Rice, Kennedy, Fox, Segal, Ajello

Senate

Senate Bill  No.2849  SUB A as amended

BY  Montalbano J, Moura, Algiere, Sosnowski, Raptakis

Senate Bill  No.2850  as amended

BY  Montalbano J, Sosnowski, Walaska, Bates, Algiere

Senate Bill  No.2851  SUB A

BY  Montalbano J, Miller, Algiere, Sosnowski, Raptakis

Senate Bill  No.2852  SUB A as amended

BY  Montalbano J, Algiere, Walaska, Levesque C, Bates

  
“Environment Rhode Island congratulates the leadership of the General Assembly and the individual bill sponsors for introducing and supporting this package of legislation and we hope to see it pass the House and Senate today,” Auten concluded.

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