PROVIDENCE – A new Rhode Island nonprofit has launched with the goal of accelerating climate action by linking environmental policy with economic growth and business innovation.
The Ocean State Climate Alliance, announced April 13, is designed to organize business, labor and civic leaders around practical climate legislation at the Statehouse. The group aims to lower energy costs, streamline permitting and help the state meet its obligations under the Act on Climate.
Why the Housing Market May Be Closer to a Boom Than a Bust
By Emilio DiSpirito License Partner | Private Office Advisor, Engel & Volkers Oceanside www.DiSpiritoteam.com For…
Learn More
The organization will operate as both a 501(c)(4), allowing it to engage in legislative advocacy, and a 501(c)(3) education fund focused on research and public education. The education arm functions as a project of the Newport County Development Council, the nonprofit affiliate of the Greater Newport Chamber of Commerce.
Founded by Rhode Islanders Michael Kadish and Rachel Roseneck, the alliance was created to address what organizers described as a gap in Rhode Island’s climate advocacy landscape – the absence of a coordinated business voice focused on implementation.
The group’s first legislative priority is the Solar Cost Reduction Act, which would modernize the state’s solar permitting process by requiring automated plan review and faster permits for code-compliant residential projects. The bill has advanced through the General Assembly and has drawn support from business organizations, environmental groups, labor unions and municipal associations.
Sponsors of the effort include business and civic organizations such as the Greater Newport Chamber and labor leaders from the Rhode Island AFL-CIO, along with clean energy companies and environmental advocates.
Advisors to the Ocean State Climate Alliance include officials and leaders from across Rhode Island’s business, environmental and civic sectors. Among them are Providence City Councilor Sue AnderBois; Laura Bartsch, chair of the state Distributed Generation Standards Contracts Board; Erin Donovan-Boyle, CEO and president of the Greater Newport Chamber; Priscilla De La Cruz, Providence’s director of sustainability; and Annie Lydgate, founder of Yes And Strategic Communications.
The alliance plans to focus its work on solar and battery storage, offshore wind, decarbonization and climate resilience. It is also developing a Rhode Island Climate Opportunity Roadmap and forming a Business Council to give companies direct input on its legislative agenda.
Veer Mudambi is the special projects editor of the Providence Business News. He can be reached at Mudambi@PBN.com.
