Rhode Island legislators rebuff Democratic governor on climate cuts
Democratic Gov. Dan McKee’s bid to slash Rhode Island’s climate programs in the name of affordability has fizzled.
State lawmakers are advancing a budget deal that excludes the major climate policy changes that McKee proposed earlier this year in response to climbing electricity bills. The legislation, scheduled for a House vote Friday, instead makes smaller changes to Rhode Island’s renewable energy standard while maintaining the state’s overarching policy frameworks and targets.
Emily Koo, Rhode Island program director for the Acadia Center, a climate advocacy group, credited the budget wins to a broad coalition that’s spent years working together.
While environmentalists prioritized defending energy efficiency, she said, labor advocates stood up for renewable energy — and often had the best access to Democratic leaders.
“That [coalition] foundation was pretty critical,” she said. For instance, when it came to negotiations over the state’s renewable energy standard, “labor was at that table but, really, the environmental community was not.”
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