Rhode Island will not follow the lead of at least two other states and use money generated by auctions of carbon permits for the Northeast cap-and-trade program to plug a state budget shortfall. more

Gov. Donald L. Carcieri and a bipartisan group of 28 other governors called Tuesday for the federal government to do more to support the development of wind farms across the nation. more

Gasoline prices in Rhode Island have risen for the third week in a row to $2.77 per gallon, up 2 cents from last week and 7 cents in the last month, AAA Southern New England reported Monday. more

Gasoline prices in Rhode Island have risen for the second week in a row to an average price of $2.75 per gallon, AAA Southern New England reported Monday. more

Citizens Financial Group Inc. said Monday it will add nearly 500 ATMs in 13 East Coast states to its network this spring by branding machines at 24-hour Sunoco APlus Convenience Stores. more

For all its byzantine regulatory nightmares, Rhode Island is remarkably advanced in addressing the uses of the ocean waters. The Special Area Management Plan that is to be finished later this year in a collaborative effort between the University of Rhode Island and the Coastal Resources Management Council is likely to be used as a national template for any use of the country’s offshore resources, whether for recreational, commercial fishing or, as in the case of renewable energy facilities, industrial uses. Anyone planning a project offshore – say a wind turbine farm – will know exactly what is required to clear the regulatory hurdles, and they can then decide whether to go ahead with the project. more

Executives say Rhode Island is suffering because the mishmash of local regulations governing wind turbines deters installers. more

A consultant for the R.I. Division of Public Utilities and Carriers said in testimony that the price of electricity from a proposed offshore wind farm was on the high end of price ranges for renewable energy projects. more

Gasoline prices in Rhode Island have risen for the first time in a month and a half, AAA Southern New England reported Monday as experts predicted gas prices could top $3 a gallon soon. more

Carbon dioxide permits in the U.S. Northeast’s cap-and-trade program for power plants fell to their lowest level this year on waning public concern over emissions that scientists blame for global warming, Bloomberg News reported. more

Local environmentalists have found statutes can be a powerful tool as they seek to advance their goals. more

The state started using federal stimulus money to pay for weatherizing residences last month after it was criticized for a slow start, said Energy Office Administrator Kenneth Payne. more

Gasoline prices in Rhode Island were unchanged Monday after falling for four consecutive weeks, according to AAA. Oil prices topped $80 a barrel in New York after jumping 7.7 percent last week. more

The EDC says the state needs to help businesses and residents looking to deploy or develop green technologies get access to capital. more

Environmental activists say a national program to collect mercury thermostats to prevent contamination is failing in Rhode Island. more

Hydropower backers say dams could generate enough electricity to power up to 4,000 homes and provide a solid return on investment. more

WASHINGTON – The Quonset Development Corporation has been awarded $22.3 million in federal stimulus money to upgrade the infrastructure at Quonset Business Park and purchase a crane for Davisville Port, with an eye toward creating a hub for wind turbine assembly. more

Small commercial customers will see their electric bills rise by between 0.2 and 4.1 percent on March 1, according to the latest National Grid filing. more

Gasoline prices in Rhode Island have fallen for the fourth week in a row to $2.70 a gallon. Oil was trading around $74 a barrel as investors mulled China’s effort to restrain bank lending and the higher value of the dollar. more

Many people might have difficulty locating the small nation of Tajikistan in Central Asia on a map. A former Soviet republic located in a mountainous region near Afghanistan, Tajikistan is indeed very far away and vastly different from the small state of Rhode Island. However, Tajikistan’s story can offer a number of valuable lessons about the future for renewable energy in Rhode Island. Its story can help show the danger of focusing predominantly on a few types of energy sources – even renewable ones. more