Gov. McKee wants to rewrite RI’s renewable energy laws to cut utility bills by $1 billion

Gov. Dan McKee is doubling down on his proposal to rewrite Rhode Island’s renewable energy laws with the stated goal of cutting utility bills for homes and businesses by $1 billion over five years.

Emily Koo, Rhode Island director of the Acadia Center, a clean energy advocacy group, said a data-driven review of the renewable programs could be useful.

“It’s just disappointing to hear his affordability agenda framed as at odds with clean energy,” she said.

To read the full article from the Providence Journal, click here.

Mass. falling short of key climate targets, with some bright spots, after one year of Trump attacks

The report card is in, and 2025 results show that Massachusetts is going to need to cram if it’s going to meet its ambitious climate commitments.

The governor, who faces reelection this year, also proposed a roughly 4 percent cut to environmental programs in her fiscal year 2027 budget.

“I don’t think anything here is insurmountable,” said Kyle Murray, Massachusetts state director for the Acadia Center, an environmental group. “We’ve got to get creative, and we’ve got to show a commitment to these things. We know that this is not just the morally right thing to do. We know it’s an affordability issue. This is why we have to do everything that we can.”

To read the full article from Commonwealth Beacon, click here.

Trump administration’s roll back of climate regulations gives ‘polluters a free pass,’ Mass. critics say

In President Trump’s most aggressive move to roll back climate regulations, his administration on Thursday repealed a scientific ruling that has long governed regulations on emissions from vehicles, power plants, factories, and more.

Backlash from local politicians, scientists, and environmentalists came quick with Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell vowing to sue.

Daniel Sosland, president of the Acadia Center, a Boston-based clean energy nonprofit, called it “a very sad day.”

“It’s a setback to public health, it’s a setback to consumers, it’s going to increase costs, it’s going to reduce choices in the marketplace,“ he said in a telephone interview Thursday night. ”It’s going to then also affect the most vulnerable populations the most.”

Sosland added: “They haven’t provided any scientific basis for their decision, what the benefits are.”

The oil and fossil fuel industries stand to benefit the most, Sosland said.

“Following the money here leads to those voices who are promoting fossil fuels, and have been opposed to these reasonable, effective, cost effective approaches to introduce new technologies and reduce this threat to public health,” he said.

More pollution will lead to “tens of thousands of premature deaths,” he said, and the decision will unsettle the American economy and US automakers, and put a drag on innovation in manufacturing across the country.

“Other countries are racing ahead, embracing clean energy technologies, because they’re better for their economies, they’re better for people, they’re better for health, and in the long run, they’re also cheaper,” Sosland said.

“Climate change is here and hurting people,” he said. The evidence is overwhelming from accelerated storm damage, to wild fires, to floods, and human health effects, he said.

“It’s conclusive, and so we are much better off facing the challenge now,” he said. “It’s much cheaper to take steps now to mitigate the damages than it is to wait, and wait, and have things get worse and worse.”

To read the full article from the Boston Globe, click here.

Gov. McKee Sells Magic Means to Lower Utility Costs

Gov. Dan McKee understands energy like he does bridges.

Last month, the former Cumberland mayor released his fiscal 2027 budget for Rhode Island. It’s a doozy. It’s as if the governor works for the fossil fuel industry and the climate crisis is a hoax.

The programs McKee has cut represent some of the best mechanisms for Rhode Island to take control of its energy future and, as the Acadia Center has noted, keep near- and long-term system costs manageable.

“To tackle energy costs, Rhode Island must do everything within its power to bring more local clean energy online and build a stable energy future,” Emily Koo, Rhode Island program director at Acadia Center, said after the governor’s budget was announced. “The governor’s budget proposal locks Rhode Island into an outdated energy system and strips us of our most potent tools to address skyrocketing energy costs.”

“Rhode Island should be doubling down on the tools still firmly within the state’s control,” according to the Acadia Center. “Instead, Governor McKee’s FY 2027 budget sadly mirrors the short-sighted policies of the Trump Administration, cutting renewables and energy efficiency and delivering what would be a major blow to Rhode Island’s clean energy economy.”

McKee’s budget dismisses a main reason for the state’s renewable energy transition: to shield residents from volatile methane prices and keep some $3 billion annually in fossil fuel spending in the local economy.

The Acadia Center has outlined the “misguided provisions” in the governor’s budget:

Levies a substantial and punitive “grid access fee” (monthly, in perpetuity) and lowers compensation rates for large renewable energy projects (1 megawatt or greater), signaling that Rhode Island is closed to the renewable energy business. “The retroactive nature of the changes (on both existing and new net metering systems) would have a severe chilling effect on the industry at large, implying that Rhode Island’s public policies are not predictable or reliable enough to earn investor confidence.”

Solar developers are required to pay for infrastructure upgrades and to finance them under the laws in effect at the time of interconnection. The solar industry is concerned this provision will drive Rhode Island’s solar industry out of the state.

A range of virtual net metering customers, including municipalities, housing authorities, colleges, universities, and hospitals, would lose substantial value in negotiated discounted electricity. “There are sound, data-driven ways to reform incentive and compensation structures over time, but this proposal takes a cudgel to foundational programs. Instead, a thorough, methodical, and stakeholder-informed process before the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) should determine how Rhode Island’s renewable policies can and should evolve to serve ratepayer interests best.”

Delaying Rhode Island’s 100% Renewable Energy Standard from 2033 to 2050 will prolong the state’s exposure to costly, volatile natural gas, defer and divert job creation opportunities, and jeopardize the state’s ability to meet its economy-wide emission reduction mandates.

Caps Rhode Island’s cost-effective energy efficiency programs at $75 million per year — a stunning 24% below planned 2026 investment levels and 48% below the average of the past five years. Because of ratepayer-funded energy efficiency, Rhode Island’s electric load is 5% lower than it was in 2005, rather than 15% higher. In addition to directly lowering energy bills, energy efficiency is one of the most cost-effective ways to reduce energy costs for all consumers.

To read the full article from ecoRI, click here.

Environmental groups and labor respond to Governor McKee’s push against renewable energy and energy efficiency

Environmental advocates, state legislators, and labor union leaders spoke out at a State House press conference to oppose Rhode Island Governor Daniel McKee’s budget proposals and executive order on clean energy. The event was sponsored by Acadia Center, Climate Action Rhode Island, and the Green Energy Consumers Alliance.

Acadia Center’s Emily Koo put it bluntly: “Cutting clean energy doesn’t protect Rhode Island rate payers. It protects an outdated energy system and keeps us dependent on dirty, expensive fossil fuels. These so-called state mandates, like our renewable energy standard and the charges that support renewable energy and energy efficiency programs, help reduce the largest and fastest-growing component of your bill: supply and delivery costs. It’s a glaring omission to report clean energy costs while ignoring all cost savings, one of the primary reasons for undertaking the energy transition in the first place. Clean energy isn’t at odds with affordability. It’s essential to it.”

Emily Koo, Senior Policy Advocate and Rhode Island Program Director for Acadia Center: Cutting renewables and energy efficiency is not the answer to Rhode Island’s rising energy costs. With this budget proposal, Governor McKee continues to pin the blame for escalating energy prices on the very tools that serve to protect Rhode Island rate payers from volatile supply costs and rising delivery costs – much larger portions of our bill. I’m here to outline the three most egregious provisions in Governor McKee’s budget proposal.

  • First, it levies a substantial, punitive grid access fee and lowers compensation rates for large renewable energy projects, signaling that Rhode Island is closed to clean energy business. The retroactive nature of the changes to both existing and new net metering systems would have a severe chilling effect on the industry as a whole. This will drive the solar industry out of the state. A range of virtual net metering customers, including municipalities, hospitals, colleges and universities, and housing authorities, would lose substantial value from pre-negotiated discounted electricity, and, in many cases, taxpayers would bear the brunt of that loss.
  • Second, the budget proposal delays and weakens Rhode Island’s leading renewable energy standard (RES), prolonging our dependence on dirty, expensive fossil fuels. Delaying the renewable energy standard undermines the linchpin of achieving the state’s emission reduction mandates and renders the climate act and the recent 2025 climate strategy obsolete.
  • Third, the budget caps Rhode Island’s cost-effective energy-efficiency programs at $75 million per year, 48% below the five-year average. These are programs that have delivered deep, lasting savings for Rhode Island. These programs are required to show, and they do, that their benefits outweigh their costs. Throughout the last annual energy efficiency planning process, Acadia Center, the stakeholder Energy Efficiency Council, a large group of legislators (thank you all who signed onto that letter), and other local, regional, and national organizations spoke out against reducing energy efficiency investments and explained why that’s bad for Rhode Island rate payers.

I want to clarify that all parties involved in that proceeding did not support the reduction. The Energy Efficiency Council advocated for greater savings in its intervention before the Public Utilities Commission (PUC), but ultimately, a $93 million budget was approved following the regulatory review. That reduced budget was $93 million. The cap is proposed at $75 million. While we opposed the budget reduction, the outcome shows that the regulatory process is working and that an arbitrary cap is neither necessary nor future-proof.

The cheapest megawatt is the megawatt we don’t use, often called a “negawatt.” Energy efficiency directly lowers bills by reducing demand and suppressing prices across the region. By pinning the blame on state mandates and taxes, Governor McKee’s budget ignores the benefits of clean energy and the primary drivers of energy costs.

Cutting clean energy doesn’t protect Rhode Island rate payers. It protects an outdated energy system and keeps us dependent on dirty, expensive fossil fuels. These so-called state mandates, like our renewable energy standard and the charges that support renewable energy and energy efficiency programs, help reduce the largest and fastest-growing component of your bill: supply and delivery costs. It’s a glaring omission to report clean energy costs while ignoring all cost savings, one of the primary reasons for undertaking the energy transition in the first place. Clean energy isn’t at odds with affordability. It’s essential to it.

To read the full article from Steve Alquist, click here.

Quonset firm reaped millions in state energy incentives. Now it backs McKee’s plan to gut them.

“No more silent costs,” Gov. Dan McKee proclaimed Monday at an event in Warwick before signing an executive order to roll back state renewable and energy efficiency programs to save ratepayers money on their monthly bills.

“It’s disappointing to hear from business leaders about high energy costs without acknowledgement of the ways that those businesses have taken advantage of renewable energy and energy efficiency programs,” Emily Koo, Rhode Island program director for Acadia Center, said in a phone interview Monday afternoon.

Koo acknowledged the merits of a more comprehensive review of state incentives for large-scale solar projects. But it was little comfort because the bigger problems — capping energy efficiency spending and slowing the state’s transition to renewable electricity — remain the foundation of McKee’s plan.

“I am still very concerned about energy efficiency and renewables overall being blamed for high energy costs,” Koo said.

Not mentioned by speakers at the event, but top of mind for Koo: the fees charged by  Rhode Island Energy for distributing non-renewable electricity and gas to its customers. While a quarter of monthly bill charges reflect government taxes and policies — including the renewable and energy efficiency programs now under threat — another quarter comes from distribution costs set by the utility provider. This is also how the company makes money.

PPL Corp, Rhode Island Energy’s parent company, faces mounting scrutiny by advocates and lawmakers for its C-suite salaries and payouts to shareholders, partially derived from the profits it makes off operating electric and gas services in Rhode Island, Kentucky and Pennsylvania.

“It’s convenient for the utility that we’re not talking about the utility costs, we’re only talking about energy and taxes,” Koo said. “That’s to their benefit.”

Emily Koo, state policy director for Acadia Center, said energy affordability does not require sacrificing clean energy goals during a State House press conference on Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (Photo by Nancy Lavin/Rhode Island Current)

To read the full article from the Rhode Island Current, click here.

Rising energy costs spark debate at R.I. State House

If you’re trying to figure out what issue is about to eat up oxygen at the Rhode Island State House this year, here’s a clue: Governor Dan McKee is doing an affordability road show, the electric company is mounting a public defense, and environmental advocates are gearing up to push back.

“Governor McKee continues to pin the blame of escalating energy prices on the very tools that serve to protect Rhode Island ratepayers from volatile supply costs and rising delivery costs,” Emily Koo, who runs the Rhode Island branch of the advocacy group Acadia Center, said in a statement. “It is a glaring omission to report the costs of clean energy while ignoring all of the cost savings, one of the primary reasons for undertaking the energy transition in the first place.”

To read the full article from the Boston Globe, click here.

Cold weather strains New England electric grid

The New England electric grid strained over the last two weeks as it managed heavy power use during prolonged frigid weather.

Day after day of cold drove consumer demand for electricity sharply upward and put sustained pressure on the power system, according to grid operator ISO-New England.

The situation could have been worse without years of investments in weatherization, insulation and other efficiency programs across New England said Jamie Dickerson, Senior Director at Climate and Clean Energy Programs at the Acadia Center.

Energy efficiency upgrades served about 10% of the electric capacity on Jan. 26, at the beginning of abnormal conditions on the electric system, Dickerson said.

“The hidden resources that are contributing to the grid, chief among which we always like to talk about is energy efficiency, which was definitely playing a critical but somewhat invisible role during these winter peaks,” Dickerson said.

Continuing those programs, replacing baseboard electric heaters with more efficient heat pumps and installing more offshore wind power could help the region reduce and meet overall demand in future cold periods, Dickerson added.

To read the full article from Maine Public, click here.

Gas Pipeline Expansion in Wrentham: Cost, Need, and Energy Future

At the November 4 Select Board meeting, representatives from Enbridge’s Algonquin Gas Transmission subsidiary presented plans for a multi-state, multi-million-dollar pipeline upgrade, a small segment of which passes through West Wrentham, crossing Bellingham’s Washington Street, then Wrentham’s West Street and Spring Street before passing into Rhode Island.

Despite the company’s arguments, the project’s necessity is challenged by clean energy advocates such as Acadia Center, a non-profit public policy research and advocacy organization focused on the clean energy transition in the Northeast with an emphasis on affordability. Joseph LaRusso, Acadia’s Manager of the Clean Grid Program, posed a foundational question: “Does Massachusetts need to expand its natural gas infrastructure?”

In an interview, LaRusso cited data from the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities (DPU) showing that natural gas consumption by residential, commercial, and industrial customers in the state declined from 2019 to 2024. Likewise, Federal Energy Information Administration (EIA) data, which includes gas used for electricity generation, also shows an overall decline for Massachusetts over the same period despite a slight increase in gas use by power plants.

Critically, LaRusso pointed out that between 2019 and 2024, other pipeline expansion projects in the region have already added 362 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d) of capacity. The RARE project will add another approximately 75 MMcf/d. However, over the same period, residential natural gas prices have continued to rise despite the capacity increase. According to the EIA, since 2019, Massachusetts natural gas prices have risen from $14.72 to $21.80 (per thousand cubic feet) in 2024.

LaRusso attributed sustained high natural gas prices to the United States becoming the world’s leading exporter of LNG, thus tying domestic prices to the global market. The EIA reported that the United States exported 11.9 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) of liquefied natural gas from eight export facilities in 2024, remaining the world’s leading LNG exporter. In a follow-up email, LaRusso concluded, “New England won’t be able to ‘pipeline’ its way to lower natural gas prices.”

LaRusso also raised a practical concern about demand: even if more gas is made available, new natural gas-fired power plants face a backlog in turbine deliveries of five to seven years, suggesting it will be years after pipeline expansions are completed before generators could fully utilize the added capacity and reap any cost reductions.

To read the full article from Norfolk & Wrentham, click here.

Acadia Center Responds to Severe Clean Energy Rollbacks in Governor McKee’s FY 2027 Budget Proposal (RI)

Press Release

MEDIA CONTACT: 
Emily Koo
Senior Policy Advocate & Rhode Island Program Director
ekoo@acadiacenter.org, 401-276-0600 ext.402

Acadia Center Responds to Severe Clean Energy Rollbacks in Governor McKee’s FY 2027 Budget Proposal (RI)

**Cutting clean energy doesn’t protect ratepayers; it protects an outdated energy system and keeps us dependent on dirty, expensive fossil fuels.

**Renewables and efficiency drive down supply and delivery costs, helping hedge against volatile gas spikes and rein in transmission, distribution costs.

PROVIDENCE – On January 15, 2026, the Administration of Governor Daniel McKee released its proposed Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 budget for the state of Rhode Island, including a sweeping set of rollbacks to foundational clean energy and climate policies that have made Rhode Island a leader among U.S. states historically. Now, Rhode Island is at risk of moving from leader to laggard by succumbing to the faulty, short-sighted logic of energy austerity – cutting critical programs and policies in the name of energy affordability, when in fact those very programs represent some of the most potent tools for the state to take control of its energy future and keep near- and long-term system costs manageable.

“To tackle energy costs, Rhode Island must do everything within its power to bring more local clean energy online and build a stable energy future,” said Emily Koo, Rhode Island Program Director at Acadia Center. “The Governor’s budget proposal locks Rhode Island into an outdated energy system and strips us of our most potent tools to address skyrocketing energy costs.”

At a moment when federal clean energy support is eroding, Rhode Island should be doubling down on the tools still firmly within the state’s control. Instead, Governor McKee’s FY 2027 budget sadly mirrors the short-sighted policies of the Trump administration, cutting renewables and energy efficiency and delivering what would be a major blow to Rhode Island’s clean energy economy. The Governor’s budget proposal disregards a primary reason for the clean energy transition: to shield residents from volatile gas prices and keep at least $2.7 billion per year in fossil fuel spending in the local economy rather than sending it out of state.[i]

Acadia Center will be joining clean energy advocates for a press event in response to Governor McKee’s FY 2027 budget proposal on Wednesday, February 11th at 3 PM in the Rhode Island State House Library. Members of the media, legislature, and broader public are invited to attend. More information about the event, “Clean Energy is Affordable Energy”, is located at https://actionnetwork.org/events/clean-energy-is-affordable-energy/.

The FY 2027 McKee budget includes the following misguided provisions, which should be opposed and modified by legislators and stakeholders:

  • Levies a substantial and punitive “grid access fee” (monthly, in perpetuity) and lowers compensation rates for large renewable energy projects (1 MW or greater), signaling that Rhode Island is closed for clean energy business. The retroactive nature of the changes (on both existing and new net metering systems) would send a severe chilling effect to the industry at large, implying that Rhode Island’s public policies are not predictable and reliable enough to earn the confidence of investors.
    • Solar developers are required to pay for infrastructure upgrades and are financed based on the laws in place at the time of interconnection. Solar industry leaders are concerned this provision will drive RI’s solar industry out of the state.
    • A range of virtual net metering customers, including municipalities, housing authorities, colleges and universities, and hospitals, would lose substantial value in pre-negotiated discounted electricity.
    • There are sound, data-driven ways to reform incentive and compensation structures over time, but this proposal takes a cudgel to foundational programs. Instead, a thorough, methodical, and stakeholder-informed process before the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) should determine how Rhode Island’s renewable policies can and should evolve to best serve ratepayer interests and preserve a stable project investment environment to attract new clean power to the state.
  • Delays and weakens Rhode Island’s nation-leading Renewable Energy Standard (RES), prolonging our dependence on dirty, expensive fossil fuels.
    • The rapidly transitioning electricity sector has been a lynchpin to achieving the state’s emission reduction mandates. Unlike the transportation and heating sectors, the electricity sector – driven by the RES and accompanying procurement efforts – has been largely on track.
    • Delaying the 100% RES from 2033 to 2050 will prolong the state’s exposure to costly, volatile natural gas, defer and divert major job creation opportunities, and jeopardize Rhode Island’s ability to meet its economy-wide emission reduction targets.
    • Rhode Island has the ability to achieve the existing RES target, including through joint supply procurements of affordable clean energy. Rhode Island was notably absent from a recent multi-state procurement of 173 MW of new solar generation (CT, ME, MA, VT).[ii]
  • Caps Rhode Island’s cost-effective energy efficiency programs at $75 million per year – a stunning 24% below planned 2026 investment levels and 48% below the average of the past five years (both adjusted for inflation).
    • Because of ratepayer-funded energy efficiency, Rhode Island’s electric load is 5% lower than it was in 2005, rather than 15% higher.[iii]
    • In addition to directly lowering energy bills, energy efficiency is one of the most cost-effective ways to reduce energy costs for all consumers, support the local economy, and combat climate change.[iv]
    • In the 2026 program cycle, Acadia Center amplified the compounding costs of decreased investments in energy efficiency, which will lead to major reductions in a wide range of benefits, energy savings, and jobs.[v] Indeed, the significant drop-off in annual efficiency investments (shown below) during a period of high inflation for the economy suggests that budget cuts to-date contributed to the increasing energy bills borne by ratepayers.
    • The budget’s proposed bond for energy efficiency is neither an assured nor consistent source of funding, nor is it close to the magnitude needed to restore funding levels.

Figure 1. Proposed Cuts Would Continue Damaging Reductions in Energy Efficiency Funding

Figure 2. Energy Efficiency Funding Has Generated Deep Energy Savings for Rhode Island

Source: 2025 Annual Report | Rhode Island Energy Efficiency Council

In addition, the Governor’s budget proposal:

  • Slashes support for municipalities, businesses and residents to access financial and technical assistance for clean energy projects such as energy efficiency, solar, or electric vehicles.

Undoing the baseline of the 2025 Climate Strategy before it begins:

The Executive Climate Change Coordinating Council (EC4)’s 2025 Climate Action Strategy is built on a clear baseline of existing policies, including the 100% Renewable Energy Standard (RES) by 2033 and existing state energy efficiency and renewable energy programs. Yet the Governor’s proposed budget would dismantle these very policies – undermining the foundation of the state’s recently released climate strategy before it can be implemented.

Eliminating these core electric-sector strategies would force Rhode Island to rely more heavily on transportation and building emissions reductions – sectors already facing significant uncertainty. Scaling those strategies fast enough to meet the 2030 climate targets in just four years would be extraordinarily difficult, if not impossible. Rather than advancing solutions, the Governor’s budget proposal rolls back the baseline assumptions on which the climate strategy depends.

Clean energy is stable, affordable energy:

In simplest terms, some components of the energy transition will cost money (e.g., electric generation buildout) and some will save money and increase in-region economic activity (e.g., reduced reliance on fossil fuel imports for heating and transportation). It is a glaring omission to report the costs of clean energy while ignoring all of the cost savings, one of the primary reasons for undertaking the energy transition in the first place. Cutting clean energy is not fiscal prudence – it is a costly step backward.

  • Renewables in our regional grid – such as offshore wind, large-scale solar, and batteries – lower wholesale electricity prices for everyone.[vi],[vii]
  • Energy efficiency, behind-the-meter solar, and storage reduce how much power we need during expensive peak hours. Lower overall and peak demand means less exposure to volatile gas prices, less strain on the grid, and fewer costly infrastructure upgrades. This helps reduce the largest (and growing) components of energy bills: supply costs and delivery costs.[viii],[ix]
  • Delaying Rhode Island’s nation-leading Renewable Energy Standard (RES) will simply prolong and worsen the state’s exposure to and overreliance on natural gas, sending Rhode Islanders’ hard-earned dollars out of the state and regional economy.
  • States with more renewables have seen smaller electricity price increases. States that invested early and heavily in wind, solar, and storage have had slower electricity price growth over the past 20 years. States that depend heavily on natural gas for power generation, especially the Northeast, have higher electricity prices.[x]
  • Renewable energy costs have fallen dramatically – and gas costs are going up.[xi]
  • Solar and storage are among the fastest, most affordable ways to add new power.[xii] As electricity demand rises from electrification and AI-driven growth, Rhode Island cannot afford to sideline the very resources that can be built quickly and locally and will deliver inexpensive energy.

Solutions to tackle energy costs

Cutting renewables and energy efficiency is not the answer to Rhode Island’s rising energy costs. Governor McKee and the General Assembly have a unique opportunity to meet the moment and stand up to Trump, by asserting Rhode Island’s commitment to clean energy. There is much within Rhode Island’s state powers, short of slashing the state’s renewable energy targets, and rolling back renewable and energy efficiency programs.

Reduce dependence on volatile gas supply to help stabilize energy bills

  • In addition to fighting the Trump administration’s obstruction of offshore wind, the state of Rhode Island has much within its control and should be doing everything within its power to bring more local clean energy online. A more balanced generation mix will reduce exposure to fuel price volatility and spread risk across more hours, decreasing prices.[xiii],[xiv]
  • Move away from gas supply expansion as a cost-control strategy. Gas supply has increased in the region, but prices remain high, and are expected to continue increasing, due to global LNG markets.[xv]
  • The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) expects gas prices will increase 33% or more in 2026.
  • Leverage municipal aggregation to secure more stable and transparent energy pricing than third-party suppliers.
  • Invest in statewide virtual power plants to unlock additional demand response that can be called upon to reduce load in times of grid stress, decreasing prices for everyone.
  • Coordinate with neighboring states to unlock the most affordable clean energy resources through, for example, joint supply procurements.
  • Increase regional and inter-regional transmission capacity so power can move more easily from where it’s generated to where it’s needed – lowering supply costs and improving reliability.

Rein in rising transmission and distribution costs

  • Enable state siting boards to add scrutiny and suggest cost-saving measures of transmission upgrades and construction.
  • Expand stakeholder participation in regulatory proceedings.
    • Provide intervenor compensation so organizations or impacted individuals can hire experts and challenge Rhode Island Energy’s assumptions
  • Limit categories of spending a large investor-owned utility may recover from ratepayers, such as lobbying or charitable spending; cap the allowable increase in annual spending on Infrastructure, Safety, and Reliability proceedings

For more information on energy cost drivers in the northeast, visit Acadia Center’s website here.

About Acadia Center

Acadia Center is a non-profit organization with over 25 years of experience dedicated to advancing transformative clean energy solutions that promote a livable climate and a more equitable economy at the state, regional and community levels primarily in the northeastern U.S. and eastern Canada. Through rigorous data analysis and strategic partnerships, Acadia Center advocates for policies that significantly reduce carbon emissions and address systemic energy challenges. By collaborating with stakeholders, government, business, and communities, Acadia Center pursues ambitious but pragmatic strategies that help to ensure an inclusive and sustainable energy future for all.

[i] US Energy Information Administration | SEDS Database (2023)

[ii] Connecticut and New England State Partners Announce Clean Energy Selections | CT DEEP

[iii] 2025 Annual Report | Rhode Island Energy Efficiency Council

[iv]  2025 Annual Report | Rhode Island Energy Efficiency Council

[v] Energy Efficiency Action Alert | Acadia Center

[vi] Powered Up: Evaluating the Year-Round Benefits of Solar and Storage in Massachusetts | SEIA and Synapse

[vii] Value of Wind in Winter 2024/25 | RENEW and Daymark Energy Advisors

[viii] Efficiency Ahead: How State Energy Efficiency Plans Are Driving Utility Bill Savings and Benefits Across the Northeast | Acadia Center

[ix] Grid Action Report – June Heat Wave | Acadia Center

[x] Renewables Aren’t Behind Energy Cost Increases | Acadia Center

[xi] Renewables Aren’t Behind Energy Cost Increases | Acadia Center

[xii] Report: Renewable Power Generation Costs in 2024 | IRENA

[xiii] Natural Gas Price Volatility in New England | Acadia Center

[xiv] How Do Renewables Lower the Cost of Electricity? | The Climate Reality Project

[xv] Five Ways Natural Gas Is Driving Costs up for Heating Customers | Acadia Center