Governor McKee’s plans to slash energy costs spark debate among environmental and business groups

PROVIDENCE — As he runs for reelection, Democratic Governor Daniel J. McKee is touting proposals to slash energy costs — part of an “affordability” agenda popular among Democratic officials from New York City to Maine.

But McKee’s plan to lower energy costs by $1 billion over five years hinges in large part on rolling back renewable energy targets and programs, prompting opposition from environmental groups and advocates for another agenda popular among Democrats: addressing climate change.

Emily Koo, Rhode Island program director for the pro-clean energy Acadia Center, said McKee’s plan would only result in “prolonging our dependence on dirty, expensive fossil fuels.”

“Delaying the Renewable Energy Standard abandons the linchpin to achieving the state’s emission reduction mandates and renders the Act on Climate and the recent 2025 climate strategy obsolete,” she said.

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