Environmental Council of RI seeks to protect Rhode Island's climate goals, expand conservation funding, decarbonize buildings, and save RIPTA

ECRI pushes green agenda

Steve Ahlquist 

The Environment Council of Rhode Island (ECRI), a coalition of more than 60 organizations “advocating for policies to protect and enhance the environment for all Rhode Islanders,” introduced its 2026 legislative priorities at a State House event on Tuesday. “These priorities were chosen by the membership of ECRI through a month-long democratic process and represent the diversity of the environmental community in Rhode Island,” said ECRI Executive Director Jordan Miller at the opening of the event.

Here’s the video: The Environment Council of RI 2026 Lobby Day; April 14, 2026

This year, ECRI announced four legislative priorities for the 2026 legislative session. As described by ECRI Vice President Tina Munter, “[T]hese priorities, in no particular order, include urging our legislators to oppose the rollback of state clean energy and energy efficiency programs that have been proposed in the governor’s FY2027 budget, the Green Bond plus crucial additional funding for conservation and open space measures, the Save RIPTA legislative package as put together by the Save RIPTA Coalition, and building decarbonization legislation, both building benchmarking and reporting and building performance standards.”

“The benefit of the environment will not be for us,” said Speaker of the House K. Joseph Shekarchi. “It’s going to be the next generation. And to me, that’s so heartwarming. Unfortunately, I have said this many times, what happens in Washington has a direct impact on what happens here in Rhode Island. And we’re seeing that, especially with offshore wind. We were leading the country in jobs, technology, and growth. We were becoming the go-to state, with other states coming to learn how we build offshore wind, and that changed when the presidency in Washington changed. Now we have a federal administration that not only isn’t promoting the environment but is also attacking it, including our efforts to build good, high-paying private-sector green jobs and a green economy.

“I remember one of the first things we did with ARPA money was allocate funds to East Providence to build a green port to support offshore wind,” continued Speaker Shekarchi. “That never happened because of many issues and delays, and ultimately, Washington said no. It was basically “use the money somewhere else or lose it,” and we weren’t about to lose it, so we repatriated it. We’re going to continue to do that. We’re living in a difficult time because it’s a balance. It’s a balance of government powers. It’s a balance of the budget. It’s about affordability, but I don’t think they’re mutually exclusive. I don’t think it’s an either-or argument. I believe you can do both.”

The Legislative Priorities:

• Protect State Clean Energy Programs: In 2021, Rhode Island enacted the Act on Climate, which commits the state to achieving science-based greenhouse gas emission reductions. Over the past few years, ECRI has prioritized legislation to reduce climate-damaging emissions. There is still a lot of work to do to meet our commitment to address the climate crisis.
• As we implement new policies to tackle our emissions, we need to ensure that we don’t backslide by weakening or eliminating our most important existing climate and clean energy policies. Efforts to roll back state renewable energy and energy efficiency programs are short-sighted and irresponsible, only achieving limited short-term savings by creating even higher costs in the future.

• Securing long-term energy affordability means ending our reliance on fossil fuels—the real drivers of rising energy costs. The costs of fossil fuels and fossil fuel infrastructure have risen steadily in recent years, and as recent events have demonstrated, they are volatile and can spike unexpectedly.
• To protect our environment, our public health, and our economy, we must continue to act—not retreat—on climate.

“The energy efficiency programs in Rhode Island provide financial and technical assistance and support for residents and businesses who want to install higher efficiency technology in Rhode Island buildings,” explained Sam Dunsky, a director at Dunsky Energy and Climate Advisors, a consulting firm that supports clients across the clean energy industry, though he was speaking as himself, not on behalf of his employer. “That can be things like heating and ventilation equipment, high-efficiency appliances, insulation, and other building shell improvements. That’s the kind of support these programs provide, and those technologies offer many tangible benefits for Rhode Islanders. They provide energy savings; they reduce bills because of those savings; and they reduce emissions and support local, clean, green, high-quality jobs. It is a win-win program. And it’s important in this moment to dwell on the fact that energy efficiency programs save people money.”

• Green Bond with Added Funding for Conservation: ECRI supports the Green Bond with Added Funding for Conservation (H8144). This bill helps to make the Green Bond greener by adding $17.5 million in funding, including $10 Million for forest, farmland, and open space conservation programs. ECRI supports bolstering the Green Bond with:
• $3 million in Outdoor Recreation Grants for municipalities and Native American tribes to create playgrounds, conserve important parks, and improve access to outdoor recreational opportunities;

• $3 million for the State Open Space Program to acquire and conserve lands of statewide interest and significance, including ecologically valuable land that enhances DEM’s management areas, parks, and important forest lands;
• $2 million in Local Open Space Matching Grants to municipalities, land trusts, and non-profit conservation land organizations to preserve valuable habitats and open spaces in local communities across RI; and
• $2 million for the farmland preservation that is critical to preserving important farms in the state.

“We need our farms, forests, and open spaces. That is absolutely critical,” said Representative Megan Cotter (Democrat, District 39, Exeter, Hopkinton, Richmond). “I joined this fight in 2023, shortly after the Exeter Forest Fire... The day after the fire, I asked my fire chief if he could talk to me about the cause and why it happened. He gave me a tour of the location, and he said, ‘This is going to happen again. We are not taking care of our forests here in Rhode Island.’ Digging deeper into that and finding out that DEM can only manage 1% of our forests each year is incredibly concerning, given the gypsy moth infestation and what it did to Rhode Island’s forests. Two years ago, we made the largest investment in forest management in decades. As a result, 16 state areas are receiving a forest management plan. If you are a large landowner, you realize and know how important a forest management plan is.

“We’ve lost 80% of our farmland since the ‘50s,” continued Representative Cotter. “Let’s all swallow that number for a minute. That is incredibly concerning, and it’s incredibly important that we invest this pittance, honestly, of $2 million into our farmland. Two million dollars is all the farmers are asking for to maintain the land that they have. I think we can find a way to fund that.

“Open space is critically important, and it was left out of the last green bond. We have to start talking about how open space is not at odds with housing. We need both open space and housing, and we need to stop treating them as separate things. Just because we have open space doesn’t mean there can’t be more houses. A lot of folks can’t seem to understand that we need both.”

• Building Decarbonization: Rhode Island’s building sector (including residential, commercial, and industrial heating) produces nearly 40% of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions. Despite this, we have yet to enact a major statewide policy to address and reduce emissions from our buildings.

• Reducing the combustion of fossil fuels in our buildings would also improve air quality and public health, and speed adoption of highly efficient technologies, such as heat pumps. ECRI supports the Building
• Decarbonization package of bills:
• The Building Benchmarking and Reporting Act of 2026 (H7183/S2260)
• This bill would require buildings larger than 25,000 square feet to track and report their energy use to the state. This would allow for transparency regarding energy use and facilities performance among various building types. It would also allow property owners to evaluate where improvements could be made to enhance performance and reduce utility bills.
• The Building Performance Standards Act of 2026 (H7184/S2218)
• This bill would require OER and DEM to develop building performance standards for large buildings. This would ensure that large buildings reduce emissions in line with the Act on Climate’s emissions-reduction commitments.

“I have two bills; we should pass them both,” said Representative Rebecca Kislak (Democrat, District 4, Providence). “The first bill is a measuring bill, building benchmarking. We cannot reduce what we do not measure. We absolutely need to know our building inventory and carbon use. Providence will soon release its year-two benchmarking report. I’m very much looking forward to following in Providence’s footsteps on this journey, bringing the whole state along. It’s crucial that we do this.

“The second bill creates a way to plan to lower building emissions,” continued Representative Kislak. “We absolutely need to do that. The state already has the authority to do both of these things. We do need to pass legislation because the state is not doing what it needs to do to meet our Act on Climate goals, so we in the General Assembly, together with support and pressure from y’all, can tell the state how they need to do what we need them to do to make a sustainable Rhode Island for our kids and the future. Let’s decarbonize our buildings. Let’s put some meat on the bones of the Act on Climate as it relates to buildings, which we haven’t done yet. Let’s make this the year.”

• Save RIPTA Package
• The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA), Rhode Island’s chronically underfunded public transit agency, had to reduce its services last fall. The disruptive impact on customers and drivers is well-documented. The proposed 2027 budget will not reverse those 2025 service cuts. Despite strong advocacy and public support, insufficient funding prevents RIPTA from flourishing.
• Public transit needs sufficient and sustainable funding to be an attractive alternative to automobiles. Expanding public transportation not only reduces emissions but also provides essential services and mobility access for all Rhode Islanders.
• RIPTA is an essential alternative for those without cars— including students, the young, the elderly, people with disabilities, and lower-income Rhode Islanders.
• Reduced dependence on cars also means less traffic and lower emissions of air pollutants that cause or worsen health problems such as heart and lung disease.
• The “Save RIPTA” Package includes eight bills, all aimed at filling the funding gap. The bills in this package are:
• $5M Budget Allocation (H8317/S2825)
• Increase RIPTA’s Share of Highway Maintenance Account to 20% (H8178/S2095)
• Rideshare Sales Tax to RIPTA (H8145/S3084)
• Commuter Transportation Benefits Act (H7363/S2323)
• Transit Master Plan Bond Referenda (H8202/S2813)
• Car Inspection Fee Funds to RIPTA (H8369/S3013)
• RIPTA Board Restructuring (H8127)
• Increased Funding from Motor Fuel Tax to RIPTA (H8315/S2668)

“I want a functional transit system to decarbonize the transportation sector, which is the largest single source of carbon emissions in the state and country, as well as for quality of life and all the things,” said Liza Birch from the Save RIPTA Coalition. “We’re going to unfortunately hear from some high school students later tonight at our hearings about how they can’t get to their after-school activities now, and they can’t get here to the State House because of the service cuts that happened last year.

“This is the third year of the Save RIPTA campaign and the third year that ECRI has included it in their legislative priority,” continued Birch. “So thank you so much. It’s so important that we work in partnership and coalition to get this done. This is the first year of three that the governor is proposing to cover the majority of the deficit. However, that is maintaining the current service levels, which we know are absolutely not enough. It wasn’t enough before the service cuts, and it certainly isn’t now. RIPTA has shrunk. Last year’s cuts were historic, and we have documented, with riders and drivers, the devastating effects of people losing their jobs and being unable to go places on the weekend. It’s very likely we won’t have a beach bus this summer. We’re cutting off access for our most vulnerable populations to move about our state, and it’s really a shame.” 

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