"We know that the effects of climate change and other environmental problems are not borne equally. Low-income communities... bear the disproportionate burdens of pollution..."
“We were on the floor and it was one of the first big
pieces of legislation I did as Speaker. We were all under masks, we were at the
auditorium, and we were all separate. It was a foreign environment and we were
on iPads and the iPads were running out of energy. It's a true story - we had a
three-hour battery life with the iPads and we had five or 10 minutes to go and
the Republicans - no disrespect to any of them who are here, I don't think
there are any, but that's okay - they were filibustering because it was the day
before the break and they wanted to go on break. They were trying to build up
opposition among the different advocacy groups against it.
“I called a recess and I called [Majority Leader] Chris
Blazejewski up and I asked, ‘Leader, what are we going to do?’ He said,
‘We're going to call the question.’
“What that means is we end debate - and we never like to
do that. But that issue and the environment were so important that we made the
decision, even as a new Speaker and a new Leader - he wasn't the Leader before
and I was never the Speaker before - but we wanted this to happen. It meant so
much to so many people [and] it was the right thing to do.
“We called the question - and we've never called the
question since then [even though] we've had some far out there debates - but we
let that process play on. We wanted [Act on Climate to pass.] It was important
for the state and it's important for the future of generations of Rhode
Islanders. I'm proud of that day and I'm proud of that moment and I want to
acknowledge Chris Blazejewski for that because not many people know the
intricacies of making the sausage, but he made it happen and it doesn't happen
without his guidance.
“Rhode Island is leading the way on environmental
initiatives and advocates are calling this some of the best years of
environmental policymaking in Rhode Island history. The people who are here
today have been tremendous advocates for the environment. The Act on Climate
passed in 2021 requires the state to create a plan to reduce emissions to
levels that will help us avoid the worst consequence of rising temperatures and
sea levels. And let me tell you, I live in Warwick and I see sea levels.
Warwick has more coastline than any other city or town in the state of Rhode
Island.
“Act on Climate is a national model for protecting the
environment, addressing climate change, and creating new, good-paying green
jobs in Rhode Island.”
ECRI's Coffee Hour is an event held every year to give environmental advocates and legislators a chance to interact, celebrate wins from last year, and discuss emerging priorities for this year's session. “It's an opportunity for our advocates to work with legislators as well as for our legislators to hear a bit about some of Rhode Island's most pressing environmental issues and the solutions that Rhode Island's environmental community is advocating for,” said Amanda Barker, who emceed the event. Barker is Vice President of Policy at the Environmental Council of Rhode Island and a Policy Advocate at Green Energy Consumers Alliance.
“ECRI is a coalition of more than 60 small, medium, and large organizations as well as individual members that chair a mission to develop and advocate for policies and laws that protect and enhance the environment for all,” said James Crowley, an attorney at the Conservation Law Foundation currently serving as the president of ECRI.
“Rhode Islanders. ECRI is the organization
through which Rhode Island's environmental advocates come together to speak
with one voice, and that includes voting on and advocating for our collective
legislative priorities each year. In recent years, ECRI and our members have
played a key role in supporting the passage of several major pieces of
environmental legislation, including the Act on Climate in 2021 and the one
hundred percent renewable energy standard in 2022.
“In last year's legislative session, we prioritized and
successfully worked to support the passage of important legislation including
solar siting reform and updates to the State Building Code,” continued Crowley.
“I'll also mention that ECRI is currently working to implement our equity-based
strategic plan, which includes ongoing work to amend our bylaws and orient
ourselves to better support environmental justice work.”
“This is the time of the session when we have a lot of
competing events going on,” said Senator Alana DiMario. “Across the hall
right now is the RIght from the Start campaign, and
they are talking about their priority legislation to get the children of Rhode
Island off to the best and most healthy possible start in life... We [seem to]
have things competing for our attention, but... the reality is that these priorities
are not so much competing as they are complimentary. I think one of our biggest
priorities this year on the environmental front is being able to pass the Environmental
Justice Act.
“The conversation happening across the hall is to make
sure that we have healthcare coverage, continuously, for children from age zero
to six to help them with chronic conditions such as asthma, which we know
happens more in communities that are overburdened by pollution, which the
Environmental Justice Act would help us to be able to address. I want to call
attention to the fact that as we advocate for our environmental priorities this
year, we want to make sure to be looking around and connecting with the ways
that those priorities are very much in line with the priorities around
children's health. As we're looking at issues of coastal resiliency and the
damage that our communities - I represent a coastal community in Narragansett,
North Kingstown, and New Shoreham - the devastation that the storms that we
just had a couple of weeks ago - we're still trying to and figure out what the
path forward there is when we're talking about environmental issues related to
resiliency and coastal resiliency.
“Those things are very much connected with the strength
of our economy here in Rhode Island, and we have to be paying attention to that
as we're advocating for these changes. So again, as we're torn in a lot of
different directions, I want to challenge us all to look at these things as not
being competing priorities, but as being ways that we can join with each other
and figure out how we can move these things forward for the health and future
of all Rhode Islanders.”
“It'll come as no surprise that several of our emerging
priorities have to do with achieving our Act on Climate goals,” said Amanda
Barker as she ran down ECRI’s legislative priorities. “The passage of the
Act on Climate three years ago was a major achievement, and we thank the
General Assembly for passing that act. With that being said, the act on climate
is not self-executing.
“The state must now follow up with the programs and
policies necessary to achieve those emissions reduction targets. Thankfully, we
know what we need to do to decarbonize these sectors and achieve those targets.
We just need to implement the policies to get us there. That is why the top
priority area - number one - is decarbonizing buildings. Currently, Rhode
Island lacks a comprehensive policy to address emissions from the building
sector, which make up almost a third of the state's greenhouse gas emissions.
That's why ECRI will be advocating for legislation to reduce emissions for both
existing buildings and new construction.
“I want to stress that existing buildings are the larger
piece of the puzzle. When we talk about achieving net zero by 2050, 70% of our
building stock that is already in place today will still be in place in 2050,
so we must start retrofitting and electrifying those buildings.
“Our second priority area is funding transportation
Transportation is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the state
of Rhode Island, and a key way to reduce those emissions is to reduce vehicle
miles traveled and get people out of their personally owned vehicles. RIPTA must
be adequately funded to not only prevent the fiscal cliff and service cuts but
also to increase driver pay and to allow them to start implementing the Transit
Master Plan and expand service to create a more robust public transit
system and reduce emissions.
“Our third priority area is environmental justice.
We know that the effects of climate change and other environmental problems are
not borne equally. Low-income communities, particularly communities of color,
bear the disproportionate burdens of pollution. A major cause of that is the
fact that those communities have not been heard when it comes to environmental
planning. ECRI will be supporting legislation that ensures that environmental
justice is considered when state agencies make important decisions around the
implementation of the Act on Climate and other topics.
“ECRI will also be supporting a Percentage of Income
Payment Plan (PIPP) to limit the economic burden of utility bills on
already overburdened communities.
“Our fourth priority area is funding climate action.
We're calling on both the General Assembly and the Governor's administration to
make sure that environmental and climate action is appropriately funded and to
ensure that they're not leaving any federal funding on the table. That will
help establish the programs necessary to achieve the act on climate.”
Steve Ahlquist is a reader-supported publication. To
receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid
subscriber.