Advancing Clean Energy Initiatives to Address Climate Change
- Passed a $53-million Green Economy Bond on the November 2024 ballot that will expand public access to recreation, clean up previous industrial contamination, improve the resiliency of our municipalities and historic tourism infrastructure, and shore up Rhode Island’s competitive advantage in offshore wind. The ballot measure was approved by 67.2 percent of voters.
- Became the first state in the country to sign legislation into law committing to a 100 percent renewable energy standard by 2033, where 100 percent of Rhode Island’s electricity will be offset by renewable production (the Renewable Energy Standard). The state is on track to meet this goal through expanding solar, wind, and energy efficiency programs.
- Joined forces with Massachusetts and announced the largest offshore wind selection in New England history in 2024 for the selection of 2,878 megawatts (MW) of offshore wind— the first coordinated procurement of its kind. Through this procurement, offshore wind will power over 125,000 Rhode Island homes and 1.4 million Massachusetts homes.
- Completed construction and installation of Revolution Wind’s first offshore wind turbine, a historic milestone for Rhode Island, the first
- large-scale offshore wind farm for Connecticut, and the first multi-state offshore wind farm in the nation. A centerpiece of the region’s blue economy, Revolution Wind is directly creating roughly 1,200 jobs across Rhode Island and Connecticut and accelerating the states’ clean energy sectors with significant investments in workforce development, union partnerships, and infrastructure. This project will power over 350,000 households, with Rhode Island receiving 400MW of the 704MW total; this will help us meet our Act on Climate goals.
- Enacted legislation creating the Clean Heat RI program, a heat pump program offering financial incentives for the installation of high efficiency heat pumps for households, small to mid-sized businesses, and non-profits.
- Submitted a successful state plan for electric vehicle infrastructure deployment, securing $3.8 million in federal fiscal year 2023, and $22.9 million over the next five years under the Federal Highway Administration’s National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program. Rhode Island was the first in the nation to complete both Phase 1and Phase 2 of this program.
- Held a groundbreaking event on July 17, 2024, to celebrate Rhode Island’s achievement as the first in the nation to complete Phase 1 of the alternative fuel corridor under the NEVI Program. The milestone was marked with a ribbon-cutting event at the Route 117 Park and Ride in Warwick.
- Installed a total of four 150 kWh Direct Current Fast Chargers (DCFCs) along I-95—two in Warwick and two at the Ashaway Park and Ride, during Phase 1.
- Launched Phase 2 of the program in Fall 2024, focusing on a community-based approach and is available to public, non-profit, and private entities.
- Launched the Erika Niedowski Memorial Electric Bicycle rebate and DRIVEEV rebates through the Office of Energy Resources (OER) in 2022, supporting the transition to emissions-free transit options.
- As of July 31, 2024, awarded 1,731 DRIVEEV rebates for zero-emission vehicles since July 2022, and 1,203 Erika Niedowski E-Bike rebates since its launch in October 2022. As of February 2024, approximately 1200 EV and 1,000 E-Bike rebates have been issued to consumers.
- Launched the PowerUpRI rebate program on August 1, 2024, to incentivize Rhode Island residents and landlords to adopt EV charging infrastructure within their residential units statewide. By offering rebates tailored for residential EV charger installations, the program seeks to boost the adoption of clean transportation, reduce transportation emissions, and foster environmental sustainability in alignment with the Act on Climate.
- Opened Rhode Island’s first utility-scale battery storage facility in the Pascoag Utility District. This battery technology, which allows for the storage of energy and deploys it when it is most needed, is a vital link in Governor McKee’s plan to transition Rhode Island to a 100 percent clean electricity grid by 2033.
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Extended the State Energy Efficiency Programs and the Renewable Energy Fund (REF) through the end of 2028 and required the issuance of a competitive request for proposals to administer the State Energy Efficiency Programs. REF provides grants for renewable energy projects that have potential to produce electricity in a cleaner, more sustainable manner, while stimulating job growth in the green technology and energy sectors. Rhode Island’s energy efficiency programs offer homeowners, renters, businesses, and municipalities a variety of opportunities to save energy and reduce utility bills.
- Invested in CCRI’s Global Wind Organization (GWO) Basic Safety Training (BST). The training ensures that the building trades union members and other workers are properly equipped with the skills needed for the rapidly developing offshore wind sector within Rhode Island.
- Celebrated 208 participants completing the training as of September 2024.
- Launched the Energy Project Reimbursement Assistance (EPRA) program in collaboration with the Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank (RIIB). EPRA is a technical assistance program that aids local governments and municipalities in implementing the Elective Pay provision of the Biden/Harris Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act. Elective Pay allows local governments and municipalities, as well as non-profits, to file a federal tax return and receive cash reimbursement from the IRS for clean energy projects. These credits can cover between six to 70 percent of a clean energy project cost, creating unprecedented opportunity to secure federal dollars for local projects while advancing our climate goals.
- Received $9.8 million in federal funding to support OER operations and programming, energy security planning, energy efficiency and conservation measures for municipalities, and program design for enhancing the resiliency of Rhode Island’s energy grid.
- Updated the state’s solar program laws, providing a guide for municipalities about where solar is most effective and sustainable (preferred and previously disturbed sites), versus where solar is detrimental (core forests). The new law provides a statewide definition of core forests, which increases uniformity throughout the state.
- Updated Rhode Island’s climate-emission reduction goals through the 2021 Act on Climate, positioning the state to boldly address climate change and prepare for a global economy that will be shifting to adapt to clean technology. The Act on Climate requires net-zero emissions by 2050, with interim targets for 2030 and 2040.
- Started developing the 2025 Climate Action Strategy as directed by the Act on Climate. Through a competitive procurement process, we have selected a vendor to help create a strategy that identifies programs, policies, and pathways for Rhode Island to meet the Act on Climate requirements. The Strategy will be updated every 5 years, informed by stakeholder input, and address areas such as environmental injustices, public health inequities, and a fair employment transition as fossil-fuel jobs are replaced by green energy jobs.
- Awarded over $200,000 to community groups in February 2024 for projects aimed at enhancing public engagement around the 2025 Climate Action Strategy.
- Established a dedicated funding stream for the Executive Climate Change Coordinating Council (EC4) to implement the Act on Climate. The first year of funding provided an initial $3 million. A multi-agency spending plan was developed to achieve a balanced distribution of funds to agencies between adaptation and resiliency, as well as a balance between program execution, capacity building, and engagement. Each year thereafter, EC4 can receive up to $1.5 million in funding. For FY 2025, EC4 has solicited funding requests from agencies and is developing an updated multi-agency spending plan.
- Allocated $1.6 million across state agencies through the EC4’s FY 2025 Spending Plan, with support from DEM, to support continued implementation of the Act on Climate.
- Renewed the Lead by Example Executive Order, directing state agencies and municipal governments to lower their greenhouse gas emissions and reduce energy costs across Rhode Island through investments in energy efficiency, renewable energy, and clean transportation.
- Mandated that state agencies work with OER and DEM on initiatives like EV fleet conversion and charging infrastructure, energy efficiency measures, 100 percent renewable energy for state government, and public tracking and reporting.
- Implemented resource recovery stations at DEM buildings to maximize recycling, encourage composting, and minimize materials heading to the landfill.
- Received a nearly $15.5 million Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Hazard Mitigation Grant Program award critically supported through DEM and the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency (RIEMA) – the largest grant ever received by Rhode Island through the program, with a 10 percent state match from Rhode Island Capital Plan Funds. These funds will be used for an over $17.2 million project to elevate structures at the Port of Galilee in Narraganset, Wickford Dock, and replace eight docks at Galilee, DEM’s Division of Marine Fisheries’ Jerusalem facility, and DEM’s Division of Law Enforcement’s Wickford Marine Base to improve resilience to the increasing impacts of climate change. These improvements at the Port of Galilee will ensure that it remains a vibrant working waterfront for the commercial fishers who berth there and the many commercial crews up and down the Atlantic Coast.
- Ranked third in the nation in for natural environment in the U.S. News and World Report’s 2024 Best States list, reflecting the high value that the state places on our natural environment and is based on pollution levels measured by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
- Released the 2022 Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions Inventory, which indicated that Rhode Island’s GHG emissions decreased by 2.2% in 2022 from 2021 levels, serving as a call to action to continue collaborative work to advance progress toward the next benchmark mandated by the 2021 Act on Climate.
- Received approval from the U.S. Department of Energy for $31.8 million in funding for the Home Electrification and Appliance Rebate (HEAR) program. Rhode Island is the first state in New England to launch this program, which will provide rebates for electrification measures in low-and-moderate income households.
- Established a $20-million Public School Energy Equity Program to support underserved Rhode Island schools. This initiative combines a $5 million federal earmark with $15 million from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. The program aims to implement energy-saving measures in disadvantaged public schools, enhancing building occupants’ health, safety, and comfort while simultaneously reducing energy costs.
- Adopted three critical clean vehicle rules: Advanced Clean Cars II (ACCII), Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT), and Low-NOx Heavy- Duty Omnibus (HDO)—a key step to meeting the greenhouse gas emissions reductions goals set out in the Act on Climate.
- Through ACCII, required vehicle manufacturers to deliver for sale all new cars and passenger trucks with an ultimate plan that requires zero-emissions by 2035.
- Through ACT, required vehicle manufacturers to sell zero-emission medium-heavy duty vehicles as an increasing percentage of their annual sales through 2035, ranging from 40-75 percent of sales depending on vehicle class.
- Through HDO, required drastic cuts on smog-forming nitrogen oxides (NOx) from conventional heavy-duty engines.
- Secured over $12.4 million from the Clean School Bus program administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to purchase 45 new electric school buses and charged equipment infrastructure.
- Secured a $450-million Climate Pollution Reduction Coalition Grant in partnership with Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine from the U.S. EPA to rapidly accelerate the adoption of cold-climate air- source heat pumps, heat pump water heaters, and ground source heat pumps in more than 500,000 single-family and multifamily residential buildings across New England.
- Initiated the Forest Conservation Commission to work on forest conservation policies across the state to ensure this valuable carbon storage mechanism and habitat are appropriately managed and conserved.
- Announced $4 million for 2023 Brownfields Bond Fund Grant that will support the cleanup of contaminated property, transforming underused brownfield sites into locations that add value to communities.
- Invested in Local Agriculture and Seafood Act (LASA) programming funding to support self- sustaining agricultural and seafood sectors. The 2024 grantees included more than 40 local farmers, fishers, and specialty food producers. Supporting the production of local food means fewer trucks on the road, which means less air pollution and better health for Rhode Islanders and our environment.
- Reestablished the Chief Resilience Officer position via Executive Order 23-07 to be housed within DEM and directed that the position be responsible for coordinating resilience efforts across state and local government.
- Provided $12 million in Action Grants for participants of the Municipal Resilience Program (MRP). Grant funds will help communities restore and improve vulnerable coastal habitats, river and stream floodplains, and infrastructure. Funding for these action grants comes from the 2022 voter-approved Green Bond, which provided for $16 million for municipal resilience projects and was part of Governor McKee’s FY 2023 budget.
- Launched the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program through OER to distribute over $2.75 million dollars in state and federal funding to municipalities across Rhode Island for energy efficiency upgrades in their municipal buildings.
- Engaged with Polaris to secure $2.9 million from the U.S. Department of Energy to support manufacturing companies in transitioning to energy efficient and waste- mitigating manufacturing processes.
The Road to RI 2030: Goals for Clean Energy and Addressing Climate Change
- Make Rhode Island a national leader in renewable electricity generation in the next decade by achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.
- Meet the following emission mandates dictated by the Act on Climate: 45 percent below 1990 levels by 2030, 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2040, and net-zero emissions by 2050.
- Continue to implement the Act on Climate and support DEM, OER, and other EC4-related agencies as they continue to make progress on meeting the state’s ambitious climate goals.
- Publish a resiliency report on progress and recommendations for preparing Rhode Island for impacts from sea level rise, storm surges, and more frequent intense weather events starting in 2025 and continuing every two years thereafter.
- Continue to invest in preparedness through the Municipal Resiliency Program, protecting infrastructure in coastal and riverine communities from storms and floods due to climate change.
- Harness utility-scale offshore wind, leveraging cross-state market development with strong local economic development impacts to advance the state toward 100 percent renewable energy.
- Identify a sustainable funding source to incentivize thermal electrification. This will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, create jobs, and fill a funding gap that would advance the market for decarbonized heating solutions in the state.
- Modernize the electrical grid to support increased use of electricity, renewable energy generation, and battery storage and explore opportunities to invest in advanced metering functionalities.
- Reduce the cost of electricity to encourage transition away from fossil fuels.
- Reduce our consumption of single use plastics.
- Invest in the Blue Economy and focus on needed climate-related job skills training in programs such as Real Jobs RI and Pathways RI, including solar roof installation, electricians, and construction, particularly for frontline communities.
- Continue and expand financial incentives for individuals and businesses to install rooftop solar and switch to electric vehicles while working with public-private partnerships to provide the needed charging infrastructure.
- Increase support for additional initiatives to help communities most affected by pollution and lack of access to green spaces throughout the state.
