Enacts the Old Growth Forest Protection Act to provide protection for state-owned forestland in their natural state prohibiting extractive logging and clearcutting in any forest on state-owned land.
Protects Rhode Island natural forests by banning extractive and even-age logging on state lands and preserves, allowing only limited safety, invasive removal, or selection management after review, hearings, and fines for violations.
HB 8133 imposes a new fee of $0.01 for every 10,000 gallons of treated wastewater discharged by facilities. It directly affects municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plants that release effluent into waterways. The bill establishes this specific fee structure to generate revenue for fish and wildlife conservation programs. This is a direct financial obligation on wastewater operators, not a regulatory change to discharge standards. The fee applies to all eligible discharges under the bill's definition.
HB 7422, the Rhode Island Clean Air Preservation Act, bans specific atmospheric experiments including solar radiation modification (SRM), cloud seeding, and other weather engineering activities that release pollutants like PFAS ("forever chemicals"). The bill prohibits entities - such as government agencies, corporations, or research organizations - from conducting these experiments, citing risks of harmful pollutants, drought, and increased wildfire hazards. Key provisions define "atmospheric activity" broadly to cover AI-driven or machine-learning systems involved in such experiments, and list banned methods like stratospheric aerosol injection and marine cloud brightening. The law directly affects any organization conducting atmospheric interventions in Rhode Island, requiring compliance with the new prohibition.
SB 2220, the Rhode Island Clean Air Preservation Act, prohibits all atmospheric experiments that release pollutants, including cloud seeding, solar radiation modification (SRM), and other weather-altering activities. It directly affects any entity conducting such experiments - such as government agencies, corporations, NGOs, or AI systems - by banning the release of pollutants like PFAS "forever chemicals" and chaff. The bill establishes a regulatory framework under Rhode Island’s Health and Safety code to prevent atmospheric pollution, citing threats to public health, drought, and wildfire risks. This law specifically targets intentional atmospheric interventions involving aerosols, chemicals, or electromagnetic radiation.
This bill proposes a constitutional amendment (the "Green Amendment") that would establish a fundamental right for all Rhode Island residents to clean air, water, healthy soil, a safe climate, and the preservation of natural environmental values. It would require the state to act as a trustee of natural resources, conserving them for current and future generations equitably, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, or income. The amendment must be approved by voters in the next statewide general election to take effect on January 1, 2027. If passed, it would directly affect every resident and impose new constitutional obligations on state actions.
