Requires electric and gas utilities to provide a detailed breakdown of supply, delivery, and public policy costs on electric and gas bills, including specific costs for renewable energy sources, and mandate public comment and PUC approval.
HB 7176 repeals Rhode Island's Renewable Energy Growth Program, which had provided state-financed incentives for renewable energy projects. The program, established to meet climate goals, supported distributed solar and other renewable projects through performance-based incentives over five years, with requirements to protect core forests and prioritize disturbed sites. By eliminating this program, the bill ends the state's specific mechanism for financing and encouraging renewable energy development within electric distribution company load zones. This directly affects electric distribution companies, the Distributed-Generation Board, and future renewable energy developers who would have relied on the program's funding structure.
Excludes portable solar generation devices intended primarily to offset part of a customer's electricity consumption from the definition of eligible net-metering system.
Prohibits the use of heating systems utilizing fossil fuels as well as air or water heating systems in any state or municipal building open to the public constructed, altered or renovated on or after January 1, 2028.
SB 2024, the Rhode Island Climate Superfund Act of 2026, creates a fund to recover costs for climate adaptation projects from fossil fuel companies responsible for significant emissions. It targets companies that extracted or refined fossil fuels and caused over 1 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions between 2000-2025, using a scientific method to calculate their proportional share. The law requires these companies to pay for "climate change response work" like coastal protection, flood infrastructure, heat mitigation, and ecosystem restoration projects already funded by taxpayers. The Department of Environmental Management will manage the fund and identify eligible projects, shifting costs from public budgets to polluters under a "polluter pays" principle.
This Senate resolution (SR 2354) requests the Rhode Island Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to end a cost-sharing mechanism for gas line extensions in Rhode Island Energy's tariffs. Currently, all gas customers pay for new connections to the gas system through a "gas line extension allowance," which the resolution argues locks in long-term gas infrastructure conflicting with climate goals. The request specifically targets Docket 25-45-GE, where Rhode Island Energy is proposing rate adjustments, and asks the PUC to eliminate this allowance as part of those changes. The resolution directly affects all gas customers by removing a shared cost for new infrastructure.
SB 2248 creates a new income-based discount program for low-income households to make home energy costs affordable. It requires large electric and gas utilities (over 100,000 customers) to design a tiered discount plan by 2027, capping energy costs at 3-6% of household income depending on whether electric or gas is the primary heat source. Eligible households (at or below 150% of the federal poverty level) would receive fixed monthly discounts, with past bill arrears forgiven over 24 months. The program’s costs, including administration, would be covered through rate increases for other utility customers, as determined by the Public Utilities Commission.
Prevents condominium associations and home owner associations from prohibiting the installation of EV charging stations to be installed at the owner's expenses.
Directs the office of energy resources to develop building performance standards for large buildings in Rhode Island that would cause greenhouse gas emissions to decline in line with the act on climate requirements.
HB 7069 amends Rhode Island's Energy Facility Siting Act to remove "clean coal technology" from the list of energy sources that receive priority consideration for new projects. This change directly affects energy developers and state regulators evaluating facility siting applications, as it eliminates a specific criterion favoring clean coal projects. The bill does not ban clean coal but removes it from the priority list that previously gave it favor over other energy sources like renewables or natural gas. Key provisions now require the siting board to prioritize projects based on criteria including renewable fuels, efficiency, and low emissions, without the clean coal designation. The policy change takes effect upon passage.
