By TIM FAULKNER/ecoRI.org
News Staff, with added notes from Will Collette
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| Donna Walsh measure helps to save family farms |
PROVIDENCE—Environmental
bills moved quickly through the House of Representatives during a rare Friday
session. Here are the actions taken on environmental legislation during the
General Assembly’s Thursday and Friday sessions.
Tax break for
farmers
The passage of the
2014 budget in the Senate means that farmers receive a welcome tax break that
helps prevent farmland from becoming housing developments. The new inheritance
tax will value the farm as agricultural land rather than the “full and fair”
value it could bring if developed. The goal is to preserve farmland for
agriculture instead of selling it to developers to pay estate taxes. This measure started out as legislation
introduced by Rep. Donna Walsh. Reps. Teresa Tanzi and Larry Valencia were
her co-sponsors.
Mattress
recycling
The House passed the
mattress recycling bill (H5799), making the new producer responsibility
program all but official. The fee-based mattress recycling through retailers
and recycling centers gets underway in about two years. The Senate passed
the bill June 19. Rhode Island will have the
second such program in the nation. In May, Connecticut became the first state
in the country to sign a mattress-recycling program into law. Reps. Donna Walsh and Teresa Tanzi
co-sponsored H5799.
Biodiesel
The House passed the Senate version (S816) of the Biodiesel Heating Oil Act. The Senate
passed the bill May 29. The law requires all heating oil sold in the state to
contain five percent of a bio-based product. This is Senator Susan Sosnowski’s bill.
Renewable Energy
At 3 p.m., the House Committee on the
Environment and Natural Resources will vote on two bills (H6094 and S641) that seek to expand the state’s distributed
generation contracts program. Teresa
Tanzi is a co-sponsor of the House bill.
Medical Sharps
The House Environment Committee and Natural
Resources and House approved a bill (H5048)
requiring hospitals and pharmacies to provides public collection of medical
syringes. The bill is opposed by the pharmacy industry.
Climate Change
Commission
H6296 seeks
to enlarge and redefine the state committee overseeing a comprehensive response
to the current and expected impacts of climate change. If the bill is approved,
the commission will be overseen by the Department of Administration where it is
expected to receive more staff, funding and public visibility.
The bill passed
quickly through the House Committee on the Environment and Natural Resources
and on to the House floor where it passed. The House approved the Senate
version of the bill (S671),
as well.
The bill is expected
to be signed by Governor Chafee.
Rep. Arthur Handy’s
bill (H5801)
to institute state climate change mitigation programs has yet to schedule
another hearing.
Regional Greenhouse
Gas Initiative
Up to $300,000 from
the state's share of RGGI proceeds in the cap-and-trade program will be paid
each year to the Department of Environmental Management and the Office of
Energy Resources. The House Finance Committee and the House passed the bills (S642 and H5812)
Friday. Sue Sosnowski sponsored the
Senate bill.
Stormwater Study
The bill (H6049)
passed out of committee and on to the House floor where it also passed. The
five-member legislative commission has one year to study state stormwater
regulations and requirements.
Arborists and mulch
These businesses sought to receive the
same benefits of farmers under the state’s Right to Farm rules. Instead, the
bills (H5480 and S405)
create definitions and rules for the businesses. The House environment
committee and the full House passed both bills on Friday.
Agriculture
H6227 amends
the state Right to Farm laws to include the display of antique vehicles and
equipment, retail sales, tours, classes, petting, feeding and viewing of animals,
hay rides, crop mazes, festivals and other special events as part of preserving
agriculture. Rep. Donna Walsh
co-sponsored this bill.
Alfred Bettencourt,
executive director of the Rhode Island Farm Bureau Federation noted that many
farmers earn more revenue from activities like corn mazes. “On a lot of farms
in Rhode Island, farmers are having a difficult time make end meet with just their
crops.”
“This is to ensure
that farms continue to be productive,” said the bill’s sponsor, Eileen S.
Naughton, D-Warwick.
The Chief of the state
Division of Agriculture will oversee the activities to ensure they are related
to farm operations.
The bill moves on to
the House for a full vote. No date has been set for the vote.
Renewable Energy
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| Solar panels on Tom Ferrio's garage |
Voting was delayed on
two bills (H6094 and S641)
that seek to expand the state’s distributed generation contracts program. Teresa Tanzi co-sponsored the House bill.
Solid Waste Study
H6292 creates
a joint House and Senate commission to oversee a comprehensive study of waste
management in Rhode Island. The committee also passed the Senate version of the
bill (S602),
which the Senate passed April 23. The bill is expected to pass in the House and
move on to Governor Chafee’s desk. Sue
Sosnowski sponsored the Senate bill.
“I think it’s actually
a long time coming,” said Rep. Arthur Handy, chairman of the House Environment
committee.
Cloning
The House passed a bill that
extends the state ban on human cloning until 2017
Nays
Rep. Michael Chippendale, R-Foster,
voted against bills that called for study commissions, such as the Climate
Change Commission and the stormwater study. “I’m doing it mostly on principal.”
He said legislation is stalled by an excess of study commissions.
As one of six
House Republicans, he cannot attend all of the commissions they are required to
serve on. “It’s at the point of total saturation,” he said. It’s not related to
this issue the commissions are studying. It’s about smaller government. “It’s a Republican thing.” YES, it is.
The House and Senate
are expected to hold sessions Monday, July 1 and Tuesday July 2.