The first weekend in May, members of the RI league joined representatives from all six New England States in Wells, Maine for our biennial conference, formerly known as Quad States.  After several inspirational and informative talks on the need to act now to control and adapt to climate change  and the need to address the threat of unlimited campaign funding, as well as to support gun safety, our delegation decided that we need to expand our advocacy efforts in these areas.  We have joined together with members of the other 5 New England leagues to keep in touch, share ideas and work in concert with them where desirable on issues that cross borders, such as climate change.

These are areas in which we have not been active for a while, so we need help.  If you have time to research these issues or help us cover what is happening and plan ways to inform legislators and the public, please let us know.  See lwvri.org for contact info and to see what we are doing so far. 

Action needed now on the

Distributed Generation Growth Program bills (H7727/S2690). The Senate will vote on their version on June 6, but the bill is still in committee in the house, being “held for further study.”  This program will expire in 2014 unless reauthorized by the RI Legislature.   Please read the explanation below, and then call or email your representatives in the Legislature. 

Developing renewable energy is our best way to fight climate change, as well as to protect ourselves from rising prices for natural gas.

Per an article in the projo of May 30, 2014, the distributed generation pilot program created in 2011 to develop the clean energy industry in RI has been very successful. “It created 175 jobs in the first 18 months of the program and the cost of solar power generation dropped more than 50%...Renewable energy companies …lined up in droves to vie for the wind, solar, anaerobic digestion and small-scale hydro projects awarded through the 2011 program.” 70 projects proposed so far, but program only big enough to accommodate 28.  16 have been built or scheduled to be built, with more on the way.

This program will expire in 2014 unless reauthorized by the RI Legislature.  Distributed Generation Growth Program bill (H7727/S2690).The Senate will hear their version on June 6, but the bill is still in committee in the house, being “held for further study.” 

“According to a May 20143 report commissioned by the state Office of Energy Resources, a new distributed generation program along with Renewable Energy Fund investments would result in nearly 250 net jobs and an average annual net economic output of more than $30 million.  Over the next 25 years, the state could expect to see more than a half-billion dollars in economic output if the bill were enacted.  With an expanded renewable energy market, the state’s solar businesses would no longer have to cross state lines to do business. “  By Peter Rothstein, president of New England Clean Energy Council.  John Marcantonio, Exec. Director of RI Builders’ Association, and Michael Daley, business manager of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers local union 99.