Watch List - 2018

This bill authorizes the Narragansett Bay Commission to enter into agreements with various entities for the acquisition, merger or consolidation of water treatment facilities.

Allows municipal water supply system and any regional water quality management district commission to enter into an agreement called a "transaction" effectively merging the entities and becoming a public utility.

This bill establishes the Rhode Island Forest Conservation Act which prohibits any state economic and other incentives to develop or convert forest land for renewable energy uses.

This bill is a Resolution requesting that D.E.M. continue to collaborate with the Pollinator Working Group.

This act would cap the system benefit charge, relative to system reliability and energy efficiency, at the annual published Consumer Price Index or two and one-half percent (2.5%), whichever is greater.

This act would take effect upon passage.

Passage of Article 5 of the proposed FY2018-19 budget will place several bond questions before the voters in the 2018 Fall Election relating to Capital Development.
One such program is the Green Economy and Clean Water Bond, which will be on the ballot as Question 3.

Approval of this proposed question on the upcoming Fall 2018 ballot will allow the State of Rhode Island to issue general obligation bonds, refunding bonds, and/or temporary notes in an amount not to exceed $48,500,000 for environmental and recreational purposes, to be allocated as follows:

• Coastal Resiliency and Public Access Projects $5,000,000
• Capital for Clean Water and Drinking Water $6,100,000
• Wastewater Treatment Facility Resilience Improvements $5,000,000
• Dam Safety $4,400,000
• State Recreation Projects Program $10,000,000
• State Bikeway Development Program $5,000,000
• Brownfield Remediation and Economic Development $4,000,000
• Local Recreation Projects $5,000,000
• Access to Farmland $2,000,000
• Local Open Space $2,000,000

This act would establish a revolving fund to provide low interest loans and grants to support the installation of solar energy panels. The act would also establish a tax credit for companies involved in solar energy production.

This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would require the office of energy resources to conduct a study to verify the energy savings measures from the state energy efficiency programs.

This act would take effect upon passage.

Establishes a fee on companies that sell fossil fuels in Rhode Island and also establishes a receipt account to disburse the funds from.

This act would prohibit large retail sales establishments from providing plastic checkout bags and all retail establishments from providing expanded polystyrene disposable food containers enforced by municipal police departments or other municipal designees with an opt-out provision.

This act would expand the definition of eligible net metering resources by including "eligible biomass fuels" as defined in § 39-26-2(6).