A short,
simple bill that strengthens Rhode Island’s commitment to fighting climate
change
By Steve
Ahlquist for UpRiseRI
 |
| NOAA reports the hottest January EVER recorded on earth |
As explained by CLF
Senior Attorney Jerry Elmer to
a packed house at a recent CARI meeting, the Act on Climate 2020 (House Bill 7399 and Senate Bill 2165) is a short, simple bill
that strengthens Rhode Island’s commitment to fighting climate change through
the establishment of a statewide greenhouse gas emission reduction mandate.
The bill would require Rhode Island to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions 100 percent by 2050 and bring Rhode Island into line with the mandatory, enforceable greenhouse gas emission reductions already in place in neighboring Massachusetts and Connecticut.
The bill would require Rhode Island to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions 100 percent by 2050 and bring Rhode Island into line with the mandatory, enforceable greenhouse gas emission reductions already in place in neighboring Massachusetts and Connecticut.
The Act on Climate 2020 Act builds on the Resilient Rhode Island Act of 2014, the state’s first-ever comprehensive climate bill calling for reductions of carbon emissions of 45 percent by 2035 and 80 percent by 2050 below 1990 levels.
Unfortunately, the
carbon emission reduction goals in the Resilient Rhode Island Act were
aspirational only and lacked accountability and transparency. Also, the
reduction targets are based on outdated science. Even the goals expressed in
the Act on Climate 2020 Act may not be strong enough to prevent the worst
effects of climate change.
“As it was originally
written,” said Elmer at the CARI meeting, “the Resilient Rhode Island Act would
have put into place mandatory carbon emission reductions for the entire state
of Rhode Island. In their infinite wisdom, when the General Assembly actually
enacted that bill, they… made those mandatory carbon emission reductions purely
optional, aspirational, preparatory. The bill is unenforceable.”
[This bill updates
that 2014 bill], continued Elmer, “First, it makes the carbon emission
reductions… more stringent, more in keeping with current science…The second
change as you may gather is that it changes those purely aspirational precatory
unenforceable goals into mandatory required carbon emission reductions.”
Another way the Act on
Climate 2020 bill is stronger is that it’s enforceable by private lawsuit.
“This bill provides a private right of action to sue the state if it doesn’t
follow the requirements and mandates of the bill,” said Elmer. “That means that
any person… or entities like Climate Action Rhode Island or CLF could “sue to
enforce the provisions of the law…”
Elmer noted the
pushback to be expected from the likes of the American Petroleum Institute, whose State House lobbyist Lenette Forry-Menard, is paid
$5,160.00 per month to keep Rhode Island addicted to fossil fuels.
(Forry-Menard is also is paid ridiculous money to advocate against raising the
minimum wage. See here and here.)
Elmer also noted the
pushback from those who might want to see a stronger version of the bill.
“There are groups in Rhode Island that won’t support the bill because there is no green jobs or Green New Deal component to it,” said Elmer. “That is true. I think the bill is a very, very good one because it’s clean and short and effective and provides for a huge carbon emission [reductions] in a mandatory way. But it is true that there are things that are not included in the bill.”
“There are groups in Rhode Island that won’t support the bill because there is no green jobs or Green New Deal component to it,” said Elmer. “That is true. I think the bill is a very, very good one because it’s clean and short and effective and provides for a huge carbon emission [reductions] in a mandatory way. But it is true that there are things that are not included in the bill.”
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Steve
Ahlquist is a frontline reporter
in Rhode Island. He has covered human rights, social justice, progressive
politics and environmental news for half a decade. Uprise RI is his new
project, and he's doing all he can to make it essential reading. atomicsteve@gmail.com. https://upriseri.com.