RIDOT’s carbon reduction strategy draws backlash from advocates for focus on highways

On Oct. 3, the Rhode Island Department of Transportation published its Carbon Reduction Strategy and opened the document’s public comment period, which is scheduled to close Friday. The plan, which is required for states to receive funding from the Federal Highway Administration’s Carbon Reduction Program, is due Nov. 15.

Emily Koo ’13, senior policy advocate and Rhode Island program director for Acadia Center, said the state needs a much more aggressive push toward shifting modes of transportation and the reduction of vehicle miles traveled in order to achieve its Act on Climate targets, which call to reduce emissions 80% from 1990 levels by 2040 and to net-zero by 2050.

“There is a glaring disconnect between the scale of emission reduction needed to move the needle and the investments proposed in RIDOT’s Carbon Reduction Strategy,” Koo wrote in an email to The Herald.

The Transit Master Plan, also published in 2020 by multiple state transportation agencies, strives to improve mobility for residents by enhancing the state’s public transit network, including rail and bus routes.

Sweeping expansions and improvements proposed in the plan have not come to fruition — instead, RIPTA faces a potential budget cliff as soon as the 2025 fiscal year.

“In the absence of project-level emissions reductions analysis (or public engagement), we must assume that RIDOT’s process for identifying and prioritizing projects and strategies is based solely on ‘RIDOT’s internal priorities and logistical capacities’ — in other words, the way things have always been done,” Koo wrote.

RIDOT held a stakeholder workshop in Sept. 2023 to identify strategies and priorities while crafting the strategy. Grow Smart R.I. and Acadia Center each had one representative at the workshop.

To read the full article from the Brown Daily Herald, click here.

Critics say RIDOT’s carbon reduction plan stuck in slow lane

Roughly half of Rhode Islanders would have to stop driving their cars to get the state to invest substantially in other modes of transit like buses, trains, and more pedestrian-friendly infrastructure.

That is not going to happen, Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) officials made clear at the Transportation Advisory Committee’s (TAC) at its Oct. 26 meeting with climate and transit activists to review the state’s preliminary Carbon Reduction Plan.

The plan includes $7.1 million toward bike path maintenance and $600,000 for sidewalks. But it lacks a commitment to conduct an emissions reduction analysis, said Emily Koo, senior policy director and Rhode Island program director for the Maine-based Acadia Center, who attended the Oct. 26 meeting.

“It is complex, of course, to understand how different projects would reduce emissions, but there needs to be some effort to do that,” she said in an interview.

Koo questioned the methodology behind how RIDOT measures cost-effectiveness of certain strategies.

On page 25 of the draft plan, Koo pointed out a table which compares categories of emissions reduction strategies like electric buses and “pedestrian investment.” The comparison, based on the state’s 2021 Clean Transportation and Mobility Innovation Report, offers gradients of cost-effectiveness with one, two or three plus signs, or an “NA.”

“It’s very hard to understand how you would use that to weigh projects in any way,” Koo said. “So bicycle investments have three plus signs for health benefits and traffic improvements have three for jobs. Which do you prioritize?”

Flaherty and Koo also remain uneasy on whether RIDOT will truly incorporate public comment into its final report to the Federal Highway Administration.

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

This is how solar energy is promoted

To read the full article in Spanish, click here.

Translation:

According to the latest report from the International Energy Agency on the development of photovoltaic energy in the world, Spain is the seventh country in the world in installed photovoltaic power (26.6 GW). If we look at Latin America, Brazil is the most dynamic market, with 9.9 GW installed in 2022, followed by Chile, which installed around 1.8 GW, and Mexico, with 680 MW.

Data on the participation of solar energy in the national electricity mix of the countries show that among the three with the highest photovoltaic penetration are Spain (with more than 19%) and Chile, with more than 17% (like Greece). Photovoltaic energy currently covers 6.2% of the world’s electricity demand.

Beyond government regulations or the initiatives of the sector itself, the presence of social organizations that promote the use of renewable energies can play a significant role in progress towards energy sustainability.

The organizations analyzed (Carolina Land and Lakes, Acadia Center and Energy Trust of Oregon) promote renewable energies from a specialized, technological, educational and goal-oriented approach.

Unlike business associations, these entities consider all clean technologies, competing or not, since their sole purpose is to advance the social change they defend. Its financing and governance are also diverse, with little or no representation from the business community.

We verify that these organizations are not only a source of inspiration for companies in the sector. They also favor the development of the entrepreneurial ecosystem by providing legitimacy, clarifying supply and generating demand. In this sense, new actors have in them an ally that can help them innovate where it is most needed.

Acadia Center, for example, publishes data on the positive impact of renewables on job creation and economic growth. It also designs market strategies for renewables and proposes policies to implement them.

In busy sectors, at a point of growth there is usually a decline because entrepreneurs encounter very high barriers to entry (technological, cost, customer loyalty). Our research shows that, even when a sector begins to mature and competition increases, social organizations mitigate these unfavorable conditions by generating more support among public opinion and administrations and, therefore, more demand.

Campaigns for state governments to subsidize the installation of solar panels are one of the instruments that facilitate the entry of specialized actors. It also succeeds in offering consumers information about smaller suppliers.

Studies predict savings from natural gas ban

New Jerseyans living in an average home could save as much as 41% on their annual energy bills by replacing gas stoves, furnaces and other household appliances with energy-efficient electric alternatives such as heat pumps and induction stoves, according to a new report from Acadia Center. For the typical drafty house where upgrades are paired with weatherization, households could save anywhere from 47% to 69% each year, freeing up thousands of dollars for groceries, prescriptions, after school care, and other daily expenses.

To read the full article from The Press of Atlantic City, click here.

Líderes hispanos abordan impactos comunitarios con el cambio climático

BRIDGEPORT.- Líderes hispanos y defensores del medio ambiente se reunieron esta semana para abordar cuestiones ambientales que históricamente han marginado a esas comunidades.

El evento fue organizado por la Comisión de Mujeres, Niños, Adultos Mayores, Equidad y Oportunidades, junto con el Acadia Center y Save the Sound.

Las disparidades históricas en los impactos del cambio climático han generado importantes problemas de salud dentro de las comunidades hispanas, según Alexander Rodríguez, especialista en justicia ambiental de Save the Sound.

Pero incluso si algunas personas se mudan a lugares como Connecticut, los impactos del cambio climático todavía están presentes, según Jayson Velázquez, asociado de políticas de justicia climática y energética en el Acadia Center.

“A medida que aumentan las inundaciones en las comunidades costeras y nuestras ciudades urbanas continúan inundándose con el agua de las inundaciones, hay muchas pérdidas financieras cuando se trata de reparar los daños causados por las inundaciones. Ese es un problema tan grande aquí en el Área de Hartford”, dijo Velázquez.

To read the full article from El Sol News, click here.

Translation:

BRIDGEPORT – Hispanic leaders and environmental advocates met this week to address environmental issues that have historically marginalized those communities. The event was organized by the Commission on Women, Children, Seniors, Equity and Opportunity, along with the Acadia Center and Save the Sound. Historical disparities in the impacts of climate change have led to significant health problems within Hispanic communities, according to Alexander Rodríguez, an environmental justice specialist with Save the Sound. But even as some people move to places like Connecticut, the impacts of climate change are still present, according to Jayson Velázquez, climate and energy justice policy associate at the Acadia Center. “As flooding increases in coastal communities and our urban cities continue to be inundated with flood water, there are many financial losses when it comes to repairing flood damage. That is such a big problem here in the Hartford Area,” Velázquez said.

Massachusetts state climate chief lays out plan for big reforms, including changes to Mass Save

In a sweeping report issued on Wednesday, Melissa Hoffer, the state’s climate chief, presented a blueprint to move the state from planning to action. Her recommendations call for changes across state government, including reforming Mass Save, the state’s program to make homes and businesses more energy efficient.

The 87-page report includes 39 recommendations to meet the state’s ambitious targets laid out in its 2021 climate law, which calls for halving emissions below 1990 levels by the end of the decade and reaching net-zero emissions, contributing no additional planet-warming pollution to the atmosphere, by 2050.

Proposals include developing a plan with Massport to reduce the availability of certain short-hop flights, such as from Boston to New York, when rail options are available — an idea that will surely be a tough sell to airlines in a highly competitive market.

“I believe this is the most direct call we have seen from this administration that our current framework is falling short and that extensive reforms to the Commonwealth’s primary decarbonization engine are needed,” said Kyle Murray, Massachusetts program director for the clean energy advocacy group Acadia Center.

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

Will Maine Voters Choose to Take Over the State’s Two Largest Investor-Owned Utilities?

Voters in Maine are about to make a decision that will impact the state’s energy future for decades to come.

On Nov. 7, Maine residents will vote on Ballot Question 3 —  a choice to replace their investor-owned electric utilities, Central Maine Power and Versant Power, with a publicly owned alternative called Pine Tree Power.

That might sound like boring politics with little impact for the average US person. It’s not.

The outcome of the vote will be the first of its kind and has big implications for the rates that Maine electric customers pay, how fast the state transitions to renewable energy sources and could set the stage for other states to follow suit. The ballot question has created a fiery debate, with even environmental nonprofits disagreeing on which option is better.

“The consumer-owned utility model has uncertainty and change attached to it,” said Peter LaFond, senior policy advocate and Maine program director for the nonpartisan Acadia Center.

LaFond, who has not endorsed one side or the other, believes it’s more of “an indication that change is needed.”

“Things need to be governed differently to move forward into a green energy future that both reduces energy costs and reduces the carbon footprint,” said LaFond.

But the vote isn’t where this issue ends. Residents will still need to remain involved if they want their voice to be heard in the future of Maine’s energy decisions.

“Regardless of the outcome of the vote, things need to change,” LaFond said. “If we’re going to meet consumer, climate and energy goals, we have to move forward with a utility system that’s responsive to those.”

To read the full article from CNET, click here.

Rhode Island has cut greenhouse gases by 20% since 1990 — but has a long way to go

PROVIDENCE — Rhode Island has met the first interim target put in place by a landmark state climate law by reducing greenhouse gas emissions 20.1% below 1990 levels, the Department of Environmental Management reported Friday.

The level of reduction is more than double the 10% cut by 2020 mandated by the Act on Climate, the sweeping law signed by Gov. Dan McKee two years ago that forms the foundation of the state’s efforts to address climate change by electrifying cars and heating systems and ramping up the use of wind and solar power.

The 10% emissions-reduction target was set years ago by state policymakers and made binding with the 2021 passage of the Act on Climate. The next target, a 45% cut by 2030, will be much more difficult to reach. Indeed, modeling by Acadia Center and the Rocky Mountain Institute, clean energy groups working with the state, projects Rhode Island will fall just short of the target.

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

As climate change threatens the planet, CT Hispanic leaders address community impacts

Hispanic leaders and environmental advocates gathered this week to address environmental issues that have historically marginalized those communities. The event was organized by the Commission on Women, Children, Seniors, Equity & Opportunity, with Acadia Center and Save the Sound.

But even as some people may relocate to places like Connecticut, the impacts of climate change are still present, according to Jayson Velazquez, a climate and energy justice policy associate at Acadia Center.

“As floods increase in coastal communities, and as our urban cities continue to get inundated with flood water, there’s a lot of loss in finances when it comes to repairing flood damage,” Velazquez said. “That’s such a big issue up here in the Hartford area.”

Hispanics are 43% more likely to live in areas with the highest projected reductions in labor hours due to extreme temperatures, according to a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency report.

To read the full article from Connecticut Public Radio, click here.

Pandemic lockdown temporarily drove down R.I. carbon emissions

There’s nothing like a deadly virus to slash greenhouse gas emissions.

Fewer gas guzzlers on the road and planes in the sky during the COVID-19 pandemic proved instrumental to helping Rhode Island meet its 2020 greenhouse gas emissions benchmark, according to a new report by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM).

The state’s Act on Climate law, passed in 2021, calls for incrementally decreasing Rhode Island’s greenhouse gas emissions over the next 27 years, with the goal of hitting net zero by 2050, as measured against a baseline emissions amount from 1990. A prior version of the law, called the Resilient Rhode Island Act, required the state to cut emissions by 10% compared with its 1990 baseline by 2020.

The 2020 Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory, published Friday, shows Rhode Island surpassed its 2020 goal, with the 9.24 million metric tons of carbon dioxide marking a 20.1% decline over its 1990 baseline.

Driving the rapid decrease: fewer cars and trucks on the road during COVID-19 era restrictions. While transportation remains the largest culprit of greenhouse gas emissions at 38%, total metric tons of carbon dioxide from gas-powered cars and trucks fell 11.6% over the prior year due to pandemic-related lockdowns, according to the report.

It also proved just how effective fewer cars and trucks on the road could be to reaching the state’s emissions mandates, said Emily Koo, senior policy director and Rhode Island program director for Acadia Center, a nonprofit based in Rockport, Maine. Koo also sits on the appointed panel known as the Executive Climate Change Coordinating Committee (EC4) Advisory Board.

“What I take away from the deep decline in transportation emissions is it’s really a demonstration of the kind of transformational societal change that’s required to reduce transportation emissions,” Koo said.

The big question: how to spur that societal change permanently, and, ideally, without a pandemic. It’s a monumental task that state agencies and environmental experts are still trying to answer.

Poccia was optimistic that there was time for improvement over the next 27 years, ahead of the 2050 deadline when state law mandates zero net emissions. Already, state data experts have honed their process, updating the accuracy and specificity with which they calculate emissions from various sources, such as methane leaks.

Koo was less worried about the three-year delay in reporting than the pace at which the state must push new emissions-friendly policies to meet its upcoming benchmarks.

“We had 20 years to cut 10% from our 1990 baseline, and now we have 30 years to do the remaining 90%,” she said. “That kind of imbalance worries me.”

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