2015 Legislative Agenda
ECRI has considered these bills and has decided to support or oppose them at hearings. People interested in tracking legislation during the session are encouraged to sign up for an account in the General Assembly's Bill Tracker system.
Legislative Topic |
Title and Description | House Bill# | Senate Bill # | Link(s) to Bill text pdfs | ECRI's Position | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Budget |
Infrastructure Bank. Expand the Rhode Island Clean Water Finance Agency – an existing quasi-public agency with a AAA credit rating that already loans money for infrastructure work. This is budget article 24 of H5900. |
5900 | Budget Article 24, Budget Art 14 SubA, Art 14 SubA amended | Support | Legislative Priority | |
| Conservation |
Encroachment. Regarding encroachment on state, municipal or nonprofit land, conservation organization open space land... |
5787 | 0263 | S0263, H5787 | Support | Legislative Priority |
| Energy |
Renewable Energy Standard. This act would extend the 2004 Renewable Energy Standard Schedule Program, which required the suppliers of retail electricity to obtain minimum increasing amounts of renewable energy resources, beyond 2019 to 2035 |
5079 | 0089 | H5079, S0089 | Support | Legislative Priority |
| Energy |
Energy Efficiency and Conservation. Extends the least cost procurement and system reliability programs reporting requirements, regarding utility base rates and adds a charge per kilowatt to be charged to customers to fund demand like management programs. |
5904 | 0733 | H5904, S0733, S0733subA | Support | Legislative Priority |
| Waste |
Incineration. This act would allow the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation to consider the use of incineration as a method to dispose of solid waste. |
5273 | H5273 | Oppose | Legislative Priority | |
| Water |
RI Cesspool Act Of 2007. Amend the Rhode Island cesspool act of 2007 by phasing out cesspools. |
5668 | 0369 | H5668, S0369, S0369subA, H5668subA | Support | Legislative Priority |
|
Legislative Topic |
Title and Description | House Bill# | Senate Bill # | Link(s) to Bill text pdfs | ECRI's Position | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Climate |
House Resolution Creating A RI House Commission On Economic Risk Due To Flooding & Sea Rise. Create an 11 member commission to study economic risks relating to and resulting from sea rise and flooding, and who would report back no later than January 6, 2016, and expire on February 6, 2016. |
5478 | H5478 | Support | Legislative Agenda | |
| Energy |
Carbon Pricing Bill. This bill imposes a $15 per ton of carbon dioxide fee on all fossil fuels at their point of entry into Rhode Island. The fee would then increase by $5 per year. This fee will generate approximately 150 million dollars in revenue in the first year (2016) and will increase by approximately 50 million dollars in each succeeding year. The revenues can be used to generate direct rebates to individuals and business, to capitalize the anticipated green bank, or to fund renewable energy, energy efficiency, and other carbon reducing strategies. |
0417 | S0417 | Support | Legislative Agenda | |
| Waste |
Plastic Bag Ban. This act would establish a plan for the gradual ban on the use of disposable plastic checkout bags by retail establishments. |
5151 | H5151 | Support | Legislative Agenda | |
| Waste |
Mercury Reduction & Education Act. Requires manufacturers of mercury containing lamps to establish and implement a statewide collection for the recycling of mercury containing lamps. Required DEM to develop thermostat recycling goals by regulation and to conduct a study to evaluate the number of thermostats in use that will need to be recycled. |
5671 | 0608 | H5671, S0608, H5671subA | Support | Legislative Agenda |
| Waste |
Task force to review EPR programs (RI Regulatory Reform Act). This act would require the division of planning to submit a report in consultation with a task force to the governor, the house speaker and the senate president by December 31, 2016, to eliminate regulatory conflicts among the department of environmental management, the resource recovery corporation and municipalities and establish a uniform process in the areas of protection of natural resources, recycling and product stewardship programs. |
5673 | H5673 | Support | Legislative Agenda | |
| Water |
Wetlands and Buffers. Legislation implementing recommendations of the 2014 Wetlands Taskforce |
5962 | 0737 | H5962, H5962subA, S0737, S0737subA, S0737subAaa, S0737subB | Support | Legislative Agenda |