By TIM FAULKNER/ecoRI.org
News staff, with additions and local notes by Will Collette
PROVIDENCE — The
General Assembly is done for the year, sort of. Technically, the House and
Senate are in recess and can reconvene for things like overriding a veto. Many
bills that passed both chambers now must be transmitted to the governor, which
he can sign, veto or let pass without his signature.
Here’s a look at
happened to many of this year's environmental bills:
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| (L-R) Teresa Tanzi, Sue Sosnowski and Donna Walsh had lots of environmental bills this year and did pretty well |
BIG PICTURE
Commerce secretary. The original legislation gave the new
commerce secretary oversight of permitting for the Department of Environmental
Management (DEM) and the Coastal Resources Management Council (CMRC) — all in
the name of making Rhode Island more business friendly.
The DEM and Gov.
Lincoln Chafee opposed the bill. The final version is less clear regarding
permitting, stating that the commerce secretary shall “lead or assist” state
departments with permits. The House and Senate passed the bill (H6063). On July 8, the bill was sent to the governor.
CLIMATE CHANGE
Mitigation. Rep. Arthur Handy’s bill (H5801) to curtail local greenhouse gas emissions
failed to get out of committee. “I still want Rhode Island to address climate
change on our end to plan as well as prevent,” the Cranston Democrat said. He
intends to begin promoting long-term prevention and planning this fall.
Climate Commission. Last year Chafee vetoed a bill giving the
CRMC oversight of the Rhode Island Climate Change Commission. This year, the
28-member board added the director of the Department of Administration (DOA) to
provide additional management for climate change adaptation planning. Handy, a
co-chair of the committee, said the DOA will bring more attention to the
committee. “I feel pretty strongly it would give (the commission) more standing
and closer to the governor.” The bill (S671) was sent to the governor July 5.
Greenhouse gas money. Up to $300,000 from the state's share
of Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) proceeds will be paid each year to
the DEM and the Office of Energy Resources (OER). The money will fund programs
that address climate change, energy efficiency and renewable energy. The bill (S642) was sent to the governor July 5. It was sponsored by Senator Sue Sosnowski
(D-South Kingstown)
WASTE and RECYCLING
Mattress
recycling is the biggest success
for waste management during the 2013 legislative session. Rhode joins
Connecticut in adopting a program for recycling and disposal of old mattresses.
Municipalities are expected to save money by not having to collect discarded
mattresses. Consumers will likely be charged $10 per new mattress to fund
drop-off centers at stores or by cities and towns. The program starts in 2015.
This bill was co-sponsored by Senators Sue
Sosnowski and Cathie Cool Rumsey.
Bag ban. The nation’s first statewide ban on plastic
check-out bags (H5403 and S404) wasn't advanced by the House Committee on
the Environment and Natural Resources or the Senate Committee on the
Environment and Agriculture.
Solid Waste Commission. On July 3, the House and Senate passed S602, creating an 11-member commission to study
all technical, environmental, policy and financial issues concerning the future
of solid waste management in the state. Findings and recommendations are due by
Dec. 31, 2014.This is another one of Sue
Sosnowski’s bills.
A comprehensive marine
debris and product-packaging bill (H5264) morphed into the study of landfill planning.
The commission doesn't require approval from the governor. The sponsor and the leader of the fight to control marine debris is
Rep. Donna Walsh.
Stormwater Commission. The House and Senate passed H6049, establishing a five-member legislative
commission to study stormwater regulations and report back to the General
Assembly by April 15, 2014.
Drug exchange. Pharmacies and other drug dispensaries will
reimburse customers for unused prescriptions. The bill (H5230) passed the House and Senate on July 3.
Medical sharps. The House approved a bill (H5048) that requires hospitals and pharmacies to
provide public collection of medical syringes. The bill was opposed by the
pharmacy industry. The House passed the bill July 3, but the Senate never held
a committee hearing.
RENEWABLE ENERGY
Tax credit. A 25 percent tax credit (H5116, S127) for residential wind, solar and geothermal
renewable installations never made it out of committee or into the budget. The
state tax credit ended after 2010. Sue
Sosnowski co-sponsored the Senate version.
PACE. The Property Assessed Clean Energy program allows homeowners to pay for
solar projects and energy-efficient upgrades as they do for property taxes or a
sewer assessment. A municipality must first approve the program, as they
oversee payment for the debt. PACE is modeled after a Vermont program, which
allows any unpaid amount for an energy project to stay with a home if it is
sold. Thus, PACE acts as an incentive for homeowners to receive the benefits of
an energy upgrade even if they sell a home before the debt is repaid over a
20-year term. The bills (S900) and (H6109) passed both the House and Senate and have
yet to be sent to the governor. Again,
this is one of Sue Sosnowski’s bills.
Distributed generation. The lesser of two bills (S641) to expand utility-scale wind- and solar-energy
incentives has been sent to the governor. The bill adds hydropower projects to
the distributed generation (DG) contracts program. It also gives some relief to
new energy projects, allowing them to meet a 90 percent power output threshold
within the first two years, instead of 100 percent.
Provisions were made for
small-scale renewable projects. Renewable-energy proponents favored a bill (H6094) that makes the DG program permanent instead
of a pilot program that ends Dec. 31, 2014. Teresa
Tanzi co-sponsored the House bill.
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| Stamp Farm proposed turbine, Route 2 in No. Kingstown |
Wind turbines on farms. Bills (H5953 and S815) setting statewide standards for wind
turbines on farms never made it out of committee. Several municipalities, such
as East Greenwich and North Kingstown, passed resolutions opposing the
legislation.
Hydropower. Chafee’s effort (H6018) to include large-scale hydropower from other
regions, such as Canada, in the state’s renewable-energy mix passed in the
House. The Senate didn't take up the bill. Chafee plans to pursue the concept
in 2014.
“I’m going to come
back next year on hydro,” Chafee said. "Hydro power is inexpensive and
abundant. Getting the electricity to Rhode Island remains a challenge. That’s
got to be part of the decision, where the transmissions lines are going.”
LAND DEVELOPMENT
Land
Preservation. The bill H5386 gives added protection to conservation
land subject to eminent domain. Both the House and Senate passed the act. It
next goes to the governor’s desk. Donna
Walsh sponsored this bill and Teresa Tanzi co-sponsored it.
Subdivision. The House and Senate passed a resolution (H6167) creating a five-member legislative study
commission to make recommendations on statewide zoning regulations for
subdivisions. The resolution does not require a signature from the governor. On
June 25, Governor Chafee signed into a law (H5425) the creation of a task force to make
recommendations for statewide wetlands and septic setbacks. The bills represent
an agreement between environmentalists and developers relating to local
oversight of setbacks standards.
Slopes. Bills H5703, S544 are considered the biggest offering for
real estate developers this year. The legislation allows sloped land to be
included in buildable lot calculations. Previously, land that exceeded a
certain incline was omitted from the calculation of lot sizes.
Environmentalists fear the legislation unleashes building on Rhode Island’s
dwindling open space. The bills were passed in late June, but have yet to be
transmitted to Governor Chafee. Charlestown Democrats have asked Governor Chafee to veto this bill.
PUBLIC HEALTH
GMOs. Bills (5278, 5849) requiring the labeling of foods containing
genetically modified organisms did not get out of committee. This year,
Connecticut and Maine became the first states in the nation to pass GMO
labeling laws.
Lead Paint. Funding ($600,000) for local lead paint
poisoning awareness programs and outreach was restored in the new budget.
Children’s jewelry. The Senate passed a bill (S497) requiring all children’s jewelry made or
sold in Rhode island to comply with the standards set by the American Society
for Testing and Standards. The bill moves to the House Committee on Health,
Education and Welfare. The full House must approve the bill before it is sent
to the governor.
Schools on
contaminated land. The House and Senate
(H5617) passed a controversial revision to last
year’s school siting bill. The Rhode Island Mayoral Academies was the principal
advocate for the bill. The charter school plans to build a school on a
contaminated site in Pawtucket.
Existing schools built
on contaminated land such as Alvarez High School on Providence's South Side
will not be helped by the legislation.
Opponents of the revision
such as the Environmental Justice League of Rhode Island helped write the
revision of this year’s bill. The bill has yet to be sent to the governor.
Cesspools. A bill (H6031) requiring the replacement of cesspools at
the time of a property transfer or sale did not advance out of committee. This was a very disappointing finish for a
good piece of legislation by Reps. Teresa Tanzi and Donna Walsh.
Cloning. The House and Senate passed bills (H5425 and S621) that extends the state ban on human cloning
until 2017. The bills have yet to be sent to the governor.
OTHER
Streetlights. The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers supported the bill (H5935) that allows cities and towns to buy and maintain its streetlights. The bill was held up in recent weeks as it neared passage by union employees working for National Grid due to concerns about jobs. The House passed the amended bill 58-9. The Senate passed the bill (S836) June 20.
The new version added
enhanced safety and certification standards for electrical workers. Municipal
streetlight ownership is expected to help cities and towns save money on
maintenance and install energy-efficient light bulbs. The House bills was co-sponsored by Donna Walsh, Larry Valencia and
Teresa Tanzi. Sue Sosnowski sponsored the Senate bill.
Raw milk. Bills in the House and Senate (H5820, S015) to permit and regulate raw milk sales never
made it out of committee. Sue
Sosnowski co-sponsored.