Published February 24, 2023
Legislative Update: Emerging 2023 Priorities
By Priscilla De La Cruz, Senior Director of Government Affairs
As the 2023 legislative session begins, Audubon is supporting all efforts to further the implementation of the Act on Climate law—binding our state to reach significant reductions in carbon emissions, while also ensuring that Rhode Island can weather the impacts of climate change.
Top Priority:
Conserving Forests While Deploying Renewables
Through the work of environmental groups, labor coalitions, and policymakers, Rhode Island is once again a national leader in its response to the climate crisis. The State has carved out a path to meet the mandatory goals set by the Act on Climate law, with the passage of 100% renewable electricity by 2033 and up to 1,000 megawatts of additional offshore wind.
- In spite of the strides that have been made to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, an unmet challenge remains: how we navigate our land use. Climate resiliency calls for the protection of forestland, critical to mitigating the effects of climate change as they provide ecological ben-efits to wildlife, water filtration—and so much more!
- Progress is being made to shift the in-state program incentives —through virtual net metering and renewable energy growth tariffs—from clear cutting core forests to sites that are preferred for solar development. We will remain focused on how to maximize solar development on sites like rooftops, parking lots, landfills, and commercial and industrial development land. Audu-bon is certain that forests and renewables can co-exist.
Other Critical Legislative Efforts Audubon Supports
- We must continue to support efforts to reduce emissions in transportation and buildings—the top two contributors to Rhode Island’s carbon emissions. This shift must begin in the communities that are most overburdened by pollution. These efforts include transforming our transportation system to include alternative modes of mobility and leveraging dollars to incentivize the shift to electric vehicles, including critical public transit infrastructure and school buses. Audubon is all in on the Green & Healthy Schools initiative, working with coalition partners to decarbonize public schools - improving the learning environment for current students and future generations!
- Derived from fossil fuels, plastic pollution can be seen throughout our neighborhoods, green open spaces, rivers, bays, and oceans—so detrimental to wildlife and people. Last year, a state-wide plastic bag ban was finally enacted after years of advocacy. We are pushing for a bottle bill this year to establish a container deposit system in Rhode Island. Massachusetts and Connecticut have passed similar laws, recognizing that bottles returned to a deposit system are more likely to be cleaned and properly sorted, increasing the chance that they will be properly recycled.
- Audubon will also support the banning of pyrolysis, including so-called “advanced recycling” by the fossil fuel industry. The burning of plastics through a high-heat process undermines Rhode Island's climate goals and climate justice efforts and can result in serious public health issues.
As a member-driven organization, we count on your support to amplify our advocacy. You can learn more about emerging priorities, track and engage in legislative progress, and subscribe to Audubon’s Eagle Eye newsletter.
