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Rhode Island
Related Links
Definitions
Planning and Measurement | Targets and Caps | Reporting | Power Sector | Transportation Sector
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Planning and Measurement
State Advisory Board
Status: No Activity Identified
Regional Initiatives
Status: Completed
Details: Member of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). RGGI is a cooperative effort by Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic states to establish a regional cap-and-trade program initially covering carbon dioxide emissions from power plants in the region. On March 17, 2008, participating states announced plans for a carbon dioxide allowance auction to be held September 25, 2008, as part of a cap-and-trade program to take effect beginning January 1, 2009. Some legislative approvals are still pending before the first-of-its-kind auction will take place on behalf of all 10 states. On July 2, 2007, Governor Donald Carcieri signed H 5577, which implements RGGI.
In 2001, NEG/ECP released a Climate Action Plan which establishes regional goals and identifies steps to address those aspects of global warming which are within the region's control. In 2000, the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers (NEG/ECP) adopted resolution 25-9 on global warming, recognizing its potentially harmful impacts on the environment and the economy and the need for a regional approach to address it.
- http://www.rggi.org/
- http://www.negc.org/environment.html
- http://www.rilin.state.ri.us/publiclaws/law07/law07206.htm
GHG Inventory
Status: Completed
Details: The Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management (NESCAUM) published a regional GHG inventory for the New England states in 2004 with support from EPA. State-specific inventory completed in 2000.
- http://epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/downloads/rpt040315ghg.pdf
- http://www.brown.edu/Research/EnvStudies_Theses/GHG/
- http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/downloads/RIsummary2.pdf
Climate Change Action Plan
Status: Completed
Details: Signatory to the New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers (NEG/ECP) regional Climate Change Action Plan 2001, and completed state Plan in July 2002.
Targets and Caps
Lead by Example Target
Status: No Activity Identified
Statewide GHG Target
Status: Completed
Details: Signatory to the New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers Action Plan which calls for the following GHG targets: 1990 emission levels by 2010, 10% below 1990 levels by 2020, and further reductions in the long term as needed to prevent a dangerous threat to the climate. In 2002, the Rhode Island Stakeholder Group accepted the regional targets as a reasonable goal.
- http://www.negc.org/documents/NEG-ECP%20CCAP.PDF
- http://righg.raabassociates.org/Articles/GHGPlanBody7-19-02FINAL.doc
Statewide GHG Cap
Status: No Activity Identified
Reporting
Electricity Disclosure
Status: Completed
Details: Rhode Island's energy-source disclosure rules, required by the state's Public Utilities Commission (PUC), took effect April 1, 2005. Disclosure must indicate the emissions created as a result of generating electricity as provided by the New England Generation Information System (NE-GIS) in pounds per megawatt-hour (MWh). Emissions data must be presented to consumers as a percentage of the New England regional average, as provided by the NE-GIS for the same time period.
GHG Registry
Status: In Progress
Details: Member of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), under which entities in the power sector will be required to report (and reduce) their GHG emissions. RGGI's first compliance period will begin January 1, 2009. Rhode Island is developing implementation rules for the state's participation in RGGI.
Member of The Climate Registry - a collaboration aimed at developing and managing a common GHG emissions reporting system across states, provinces, and tribes. It will provide an accurate, complete, consistent, transparent, and verified set of GHG emissions data from reporting entities, supported by a robust accounting and verification infrastructure. Members released a final General Reporting Protocol in May 2008. The Climate Registry plans to start accepting data in summer 2008.
Mandatory GHG Reporting
Status: Completed
Details: Member of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), under which entities in the power sector will be required to report (and reduce) their GHG emissions. RGGI's first compliance period will begin January 1, 2009. On July 2, 2007, Governor Donald Carcieri signed H 5577, which implements RGGI.
- http://www.rilin.state.ri.us/BillText/BillText07/HouseText07/H5577.htm
- http://rggi.org/home
- http://www.rggi.org/docs/program_summary_10_07.pdf
Power Sector
CO2 Offset Requirements
Status: No Activity Identified
GHG Performance Standard
Status: No Activity Identified
Advanced Coal Technology
Status: Completed
Details: The Rhode Island Energy Facility Siting Act directs the Energy Facilities Siting Board to give priority to projects based on eight criteria, one of which is the use of coal processed by clean coal technology.
Power Sector GHG Cap and Trade
Status: Completed
Details: Member of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). RGGI is a cooperative effort by Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic states to establish a regional cap-and-trade program initially covering CO2 emissions from power plants in the region. On March 17, 2008, states participating in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) announced plans for a carbon dioxide allowance auction to be held September 25, 2008, as part of a cap-and-trade program to take effect beginning January 1, 2009. Rhode Island will participate in the September 25, 2008, auction. On July 2, 2007, Governor Donald Carcieri signed H 5577, which implements RGGI and requires a 100 percent auction of allowances such that the proceeds "shall be used for consumer benefit, balancing short and long-term benefits."
Transportation Sector
GHG Auto Standards
Status: In Progress
Details: Rhode Island officially adopted California's vehicle emissions standards on December 22, 2005, as part of Air Pollution Control Regulation No. 37.
On January 2, 2008, California filed a lawsuit challenging the U.S. EPA's denial of the state's effort to regulate GHG emissions from motor vehicles, in response to EPA's rejection of a petition for a Clean Air Act waiver on December 19, 2007. A waiver is required for California and other states to implement a vehicle emissions standard tougher than the federal one. The proposed auto standard calls for the reduction of GHG emissions from new vehicles of 22% by 2012 and 30% by 2016.
Low Carbon Fuel Standard
Status: No Activity Identified