Climate advocates call McKee’s veto of energy tracking bill ‘shameful’

Supporters of programs to cut energy use in buildings like to say that you can’t manage what you don’t measure. In other words, the key to reducing electric and heating demand is figuring out how much a building consumes in the first place.

Here in Rhode Island, certain state buildings will soon have to start tracking their energy consumption, but, after Gov. Dan McKee took action June 24, private buildings will be off the hook.

But while groups such as the Acadia Center and Green Energy Consumers Alliance backed a statewide program, the Rhode Island Association of Realtors, the Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns and others raised objections, saying it would impose time and cost burdens on businesses.