PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island’s General Assembly scored a “B-” on its environmental legislation for the 2009-2010 session, according to the Environment Council of Rhode Island’s biannual Green Report Card released last week.
The council, which gave the General Assembly a “B” on its 2008 report card, hailed bills that were approved during the 2009-2010 session that will help keep Rhode Island’s air clean, protect residents from dangerous toxic chemicals, preserve open spaces, address climate change, conserve the state’s water resources and will begin planning for a sustainable transportation system.
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The Green Report Card graded members of the R.I. Senate and House of Representatives on environmental issues that came to vote. The council selected issues to rate based on votes with the greatest environmental impact and those that “served to best distinguish legislators’ voting records.”
Of the State Senate rankings, Joshua B. Miller, of the 28th district, was the only member to receive an “A+,” voting contrary to ECRI positions twice. In contrast, Roger A. Picard, 20th district, was the only member to receive an “F.”
Four House of Representative members earned top marks while fifteen came in at the bottom with “F” grades.
Highlights from the session, according the ECRI, included the Water Use and Efficiency Act, the Mercury Thermostat Pollution Prevention Act, the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act, and the Climate Risk Reduction Act.
The council also highlighted the Study Commission on Sustainable Transportation Funding, the 2009 bill requiring long-term contracts for renewable energy and the General Assembly request for the Department of Environmental Management to study and develop recommendations for Rhode Island solid waste issues.
“The General Assembly showed great progress on critical environmental protection issues, but a sweetheart deal for a single corporation, Deepwater Wind in the waning days of the session dealt a crippling blow to the effort to build a sustainable renewable energy industry for Rhode Island,” said Tricia K. Jedele, president of the Environment Council of Rhode Island.
The group also criticized Gov. Donald L. Carcieri’s “legacy of inaction.” “Gov. Carcieri’s legacy of obstruction on reducing carbon emissions and inaction on transportation reform, water scarcity, over development, waste management, and open space funding, – among other things – has left Rhode Island in a precarious situation,” said Jedele, noting that Rhode Island is in the midst of the hottest year ever recorded.
ECRI, a coalition of 60 organizations and individuals, listed six steps that it would like to see the next governor take, which included supporting the Environmental Protection Agency’s right to regulate carbon dioxide as a pollutant, tackling transportation issues, and recognizing the “unprecedented challenges” presented by climate change and resource depletion.
For more information, visit the Environment Council of Rhode Island’s website.
