McKee’s Proposed Cuts to Renewable Energy Programs Assailed at Rally

PROVIDENCE — Five years after lawmakers passed the state’s first firm climate mandates, the historic Act on Climate law is in danger of getting rolled back by the same governor who signed it.

Rhode Island’s environmental groups have already spent much of this year’s General Assembly session on defense, ever since Gov. Dan McKee rolled out his budget last month that slashed and capped various renewable energy and energy efficiency programs.

Emily Koo, Rhode Island director at the Acadia Center, said energy efficiency programs help Rhode Islanders use the cheapest electricity — the electricity they don’t use.

“Energy efficiency directly lowers bills, and by reducing demand, suppresses prices across the region,” Koo said. “By putting the blame on state mandates and taxes, the governor’s budget ignores the benefits of clean energy and the primary drivers of energy costs.”

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