Northeast

Rhode Island

Rhode Island is the smallest state in the nation and the second most densely populated. Greenhouse gas emissions in the state have risen by 12% from 1990-2021, with the largest increase occurring in the electric power sector. While the majority of the state’s electricity is sourced from natural gas, Rhode Island developed the first commercial-scale wind farm off of Block Island. The state also consumes the lowest amount of energy among U.S. states on a per capita basis.
GHG Reduction Targets
All targets relative to 2005 levels
2030 :

45%

2040 :

80%

2050 :

Net-zero

Governor
Daniel McKee (Democrat)
House Party
Democratic Supermajority
Senate Party
Democratic Supermajority
Legislative session
1/2/24 - 6/14/24
US Climate Alliance Status
Member

30

Policies Enacted or In Progress
across 6 policy areas

32

Policy Opportunities
across 7 policy areas

Northeast

9 states
This map shows the occurrence of climate policies passed at the state-level. Higher numbers represent more climate policies enacted.

Progress by Policy Area

  • Enacted
  • In-progress
  • Partially Enacted
  • Not Enacted
Glossary of Terms
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Greenhouse Gas Emissions Projections in Rhode Island

Created in partnership with
Filters
Status Policy Policy Area Policy Category YR Enacted
Enacted
Empty column

45% by 2030 | 80% by 2040 | net-zero by 2050

Relative to 1990 levels

Climate Governance and Equity
Climate Governance 2021
Enacted
Empty column

2022 Update to the 2016 Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Plan

Climate Governance and Equity
Climate Governance 2022
Enacted
Empty column

The 1990-2021 Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory was published in June 2024.

Climate Governance and Equity
Climate Governance 2024
Enacted
Climate Governance and Equity
Climate Governance 2021
Enacted
Empty column

Executive Climate Change Coordinating Council (EC4) Advisory Board and EC4 Science and Technical Advisory Board

Climate Governance and Equity
Climate Governance 2014
Enacted
Empty column

"Environmental Justice Focus Areas" are census tracts where the median household income is less than 65% of statewide median income, at least 40% of the population are minorities, at least 25% of households lack English proficiency, or at least 25% of the population are minorities and the municipality's median household income does not exceed 150% of statewide median income.

Climate Governance and Equity
Environmental Justice and Equity 2023
Enacted
Empty column

RIDEM Environmental Justice Area Map

Climate Governance and Equity
Environmental Justice and Equity 2023
Not Enacted
Empty column

Environmental justice (EJ) community investment requirements help ensure communities most impacted by environmental burdens are benefitting equitably from public programs by requiring a certain percentage of funds and/or benefits from other policies are allocated to EJ communities.

Climate Governance and Equity
Environmental Justice and Equity
Not Enacted
Empty column

Environmental justice (EJ) bureaucracy consists of dedicated EJ offices and staff, interagency task forces, and other bodies made up of government staff responsible for developing and implementing EJ policy. These entities are often tasked with integrating EJ and equity into climate policy design and implementation.

Climate Governance and Equity
Environmental Justice and Equity
In-Progress
Empty column

The Executive Climate Change Coordinating Council (EC4) must create an Environmental Justice Committee.

Climate Governance and Equity
Environmental Justice and Equity
Not Enacted
Empty column

Cumulative impact assessments determine the health and environmental impacts of renewing or granting a permit for certain pollution-generating facilities in environmental justice communities. Increased pollution burdens in communities may result in the permit application being denied.

Climate Governance and Equity
Environmental Justice and Equity
Not Enacted
Empty column

Just transition plans are documents that outline policies and recommendations aimed at supporting communities, workers, and industries affected by the transition away from fossil fuels. The plans often focus on workforce development and retraining, job creation, and economic diversification.

Climate Governance and Equity
Just Transition
Not Enacted
Empty column

Just transition offices and staff assist workers and communities transitioning away from fossil fuel extraction and use, typically through retraining programs and support with relocation and economic diversification. Offices and staff also coordinate with other state agencies to effectively design policy to achieve a just transition.

Climate Governance and Equity
Just Transition
Not Enacted
Empty column

Just transition advisory bodies write or advise on a state's just transition plan or report, and make recommendations on ways to support affected workers, communities, and industries. The bodies can consist of all non-government members, or be a mix of government and non-government members.

Climate Governance and Equity
Just Transition
Not Enacted
Empty column

Just transition funds support initiatives and investments aimed at facilitating the equitable transition of workers and communities affected by shifts in industries or policies that transition from fossil fuels.

Climate Governance and Equity
Just Transition
Enacted
Empty column

Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank

Cross-Sector
Climate Finance 1989
Enacted
Cross-Sector
Carbon Valuation 2007
Not Enacted
Empty column

The social cost of carbon is a monetary estimate of the damage of each ton of greenhouse gases emitted. The social cost of carbon is used to quantify and monetize climate damages, representing the net economic cost of climate pollution to society.

Cross-Sector
Carbon Valuation
Enacted
Empty column

100% renewable energy by 2033

Establishing Policies
Electricity
Energy Plans and Targets 2022
Not Enacted
Empty column

Electricity greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction targets are set by a state to limit GHG emissions in the electricity sector. These targets aim to reduce emissions by different amounts over time, often expressed as percentage relative to a baseline year.

Electricity
Energy Plans and Targets
Enacted
Empty column

The Road to 100% Renewable Electricity by 2030 in Rhode Island

Electricity
Energy Plans and Targets 2020
Not Enacted
Empty column

The State Policy Opportunity Tracker (SPOT) breaks clean energy policies down into “components”, which are binary questions to evaluate policy quality. Higher quality policies have more of their SPOT components fulfilled.

Policy Components
not-enacted
not-enacted
not-enacted
not-enacted
not-enacted
0/5
Electricity
Clean Energy Generation
Partially Enacted
Empty column

The State Policy Opportunity Tracker (SPOT) breaks clean energy policies down into “components”, which are binary questions to evaluate policy quality. Higher quality policies have more of their SPOT components fulfilled.

Policy Components
enacted
enacted
not-enacted
enacted
not-enacted
not-enacted
enacted
enacted
enacted
enacted
enacted
8/11
Electricity
Clean Energy Generation
Partially Enacted
Empty column

The State Policy Opportunity Tracker (SPOT) breaks clean energy policies down into “components”, which are binary questions to evaluate policy quality. Higher quality policies have more of their SPOT components fulfilled.

Policy Components
enacted
enacted
enacted
enacted
not-enacted
enacted
5/6
Electricity
Clean Energy Generation
Enacted
Empty column

Rhode Island has an active community choice aggregation program.

Electricity
Clean Energy Generation 2002
Enacted
Empty column

90 megawatts (MW) of energy storage by 2026, 195 MW by 2028 and 600 MW by 2033

Establishing Policies
Electricity
Transmission, Distribution, and Energy Storage 2024
Enacted
Empty column

Rhode Island received a C grade from Freeing the Grid.

Electricity
Transmission, Distribution, and Energy Storage 2023
Not Enacted
Empty column

Coal phaseouts establish a target year by which states must end coal-fired power generation.

Electricity
Coal Retirement
Not Enacted
Empty column

Coal securitization is a financing tool that allows utility companies to refinance debt they issued to build coal plants and close the facilities early without taking a financial hit or passing costs on to ratepayers.

Electricity
Coal Retirement
Enacted
Empty column

The statewide energy code for residential construction is 2018 IECC with amendments.

Buildings and Efficiency
Building Codes 2021
Enacted
Empty column

The statewide energy code for commercial building construction is 2018 IECC and ASHRAE 90.1-2016 with amendments.

Buildings and Efficiency
Building Codes 2021
Enacted
Empty column

The Rhode Island Stretch Codes are used on a voluntary basis for private and public building construction and renovation projects.

Buildings and Efficiency
Building Codes 2018
Enacted
Empty column

The Energy and Water Efficiency Standards apply to 15 products.

Buildings and Efficiency
Building Standards 2023
Not Enacted
Empty column

Building performance standards establish energy and/or greenhouse gas performance targets for existing buildings in a state. These targets increase in stringency over time, leading to efficiency improvements in buildings to conserve energy and reduce emissions.

Buildings and Efficiency
Building Standards
Not Enacted
Empty column

Clean heat standards establish a performance standard requiring heat providers to deliver a gradually-increasing percentage of low-emission heating services to customers.

Buildings and Efficiency
Building Standards
Enacted
Empty column

Electric utilities are required to achieve total energy savings equivalent to 1,397,644 lifetime megawatt-hours (MWh) in 2024, 1,401,610 lifetime MWh in 2025, and 1,413,953 lifetime MWh in 2026.

Gas utilities are required to achieve total energy savings equivalent to 7,058,839 lifetime million British thermal units (MMBtu) in 2024, 7,090,690 lifetime MMBtu in 2025, and 7,119,585 lifetime MMBtu in 2026.

Buildings and Efficiency
Building Efficiency 2023
Enacted
Empty column

Rhode Island has enacted commercial PACE-enabling legislation and has active programs.

Establishing Policies
Buildings and Efficiency
Building Efficiency 2013
Partially Enacted
Empty column

The State Policy Opportunity Tracker (SPOT) breaks clean energy policies down into “components”, which are binary questions to evaluate policy quality. Higher quality policies have more of their SPOT components fulfilled.

Policy Components
not-enacted
enacted
enacted
not-enacted
2/4
Buildings and Efficiency
Building Efficiency
Not Enacted
Empty column

All-electric buildings policies require new buildings to be constructed with all-electric heating, cooling, and cooking systems to transition away from fossil-fuel use in buildings.

Buildings and Efficiency
Building Electrification
Enacted
Empty column

Rhode Island LEV Program

Establishing Policies
Transportation
Light-Duty Vehicles 2023
Enacted
Empty column

Model Year (MY) 2027: 43% of new passenger vehicle sales are ZEVs | MY 2030: 68% of new sales are ZEVs | MY 2035: 100% of new sales are ZEVs, with up to 20% being hybrid or hydrogen-powered vehicles.

Transportation
Light-Duty Vehicles 2023
Not Enacted
Empty column

Electric vehicle rebates offer rebates to make light-duty electric vehicles more affordable to increase their adoption in a state.

Transportation
Light-Duty Vehicles
Enacted
Empty column

The Low NOx Omnibus Rule applies to Model Year 2027 onwards.

Transportation
Medium- and Heavy-Duty Vehicles 2023
Enacted
Empty column

By 2035: 55% of Class 2b-3 truck sales are zero-emissions | 75% of Class 4-8 straight truck sales are zero-emissions | 40% of Class 7-8 tractor sales are zero-emissions.

Transportation
Medium- and Heavy-Duty Vehicles 2023
Not Enacted
Empty column

Medium- and heavy-duty (MHD) electric vehicle rebates consist of programs and policies that offer rebates to make MHD electric vehicles more affordable to increase their adoption in a state.

Transportation
Medium- and Heavy-Duty Vehicles
Enacted
Empty column

25% of the light-duty state fleet are ZEVs by 2030

Establishing Policies
Transportation
Lead by Example 2023
Not Enacted
Empty column

Electric bus procurement targets require that a certain percentage or number of school buses and/or transit buses purchased or leased by the state, transit authorities, and/or school districts must be electric or zero-emissions.

Transportation
Lead by Example
Enacted
Empty column

Requires new public parking lots and existing parking lots undergoing a significant expansion to create designated EV parking spaces if they have 10+ total parking spaces, increasing the required number of EV spaces incrementally up to 200 spaces, with at least 6% of EV parking spaces for lots with over 200 total spaces.

Establishing Policies
Transportation
EV Charging Infrastructure 2023
Not Enacted
Empty column

Electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure rebates offer rebates to make the purchase and/or installation costs of EV charging infrastructure more affordable.

Transportation
EV Charging Infrastructure
Enacted
Empty column

A Strategic Policy Guide for Improving Public Access to Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure in Rhode Island

Transportation
Transportation Plans and Targets 2022
Not Enacted
Empty column

Transportation greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction targets are set by a state to limit emissions in the transportation sector. These targets aim to reduce emissions by specific amounts over time, often expressed as a percentage reduction from a baseline year.

Transportation
Transportation Plans and Targets
Not Enacted
Empty column

A low carbon fuel standard (LCFS) is a market-based mechanism to reduce the carbon intensity of transportation fuels and account for the fuel's life cycle greenhouse gas emissions.

Transportation
Transportation Plans and Targets
Partially Enacted
Empty column

Rhode Island is ranked 21st out of 50 in the 2022 Bicycle Friendly State rankings by the League of American Bicyclists.

Policy Components
enacted
enacted
enacted
not-enacted
not-enacted
3/5
Transportation
Public and Active Transportation
Not Enacted
Empty column

Buy clean requirements mandate or incentivize the use of low-carbon construction materials, such as concrete and steel, in public projects to address embodied carbon.

Industry, Materials, and Waste Management
Industrial Decarbonization
Enacted
Empty column

The state prohibits certain HFCs in specific stationary refrigeration and air-conditioning end-uses.

Establishing Policies
Industry, Materials, and Waste Management
F-gas Regulations 2021
Not Enacted
Empty column

Sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) regulations include phasedown commitments, reporting requirements, bans, or other measures that reduce SF6 usage and emissions.

Industry, Materials, and Waste Management
F-gas Regulations
Not Enacted
Empty column

Oil and gas methane regulations include phasedown commitments, reporting requirements, leak detection and repair, or other measures that reduce methane emissions from oil and gas production.

Industry, Materials, and Waste Management
Oil and Gas Regulations
Not Enacted
Empty column

Fracking bans prohibit the practice of hydraulic fracking for the production of oil and/or natural gas by a certain year. Legislation often requires an environmental agency or department to promulgate regulations.

Industry, Materials, and Waste Management
Oil and Gas Regulations
Not Enacted
Empty column

Landfill methane regulations include rulemakings, emissions monitoring, emissions control, or other measures that reduce methane emissions from decaying organic waste in landfills.

Industry, Materials, and Waste Management
Waste Management
Enacted
Empty column

Food waste ban – The state requires educational entities to recycle organic waste at authorized composting or anaerobic digestion facilities, provided they generate at least 30 tons of organic waste per year and are within 15 miles of an authorized recycling facility.

Industry, Materials, and Waste Management
Waste Management 2014
Not Enacted
Empty column

Agriculture financial incentives support healthy soils and regenerative agriculture. Incentives may include reduced crop insurance premiums, property tax exemptions, grants, or cost-share programs.

Natural and Working Lands
Agriculture
Not Enacted
Empty column

Agriculture technical assistance programs provide state-driven technical assistance, apprenticeship and mentorship programs, and support securing additional funding for farmers to increase uptake of soil health practices.

Natural and Working Lands
Agriculture

The State Climate Policy Dashboard tracks only passed policies and does not include bills currently proposed in legislative sessions. The website is intended to illustrate the current status of policies for each state, as well as key resources and model states for each policy.

Much of the information contained in this database is derived from the public domain, with links to resources provided. The information provided is made available solely for general information purposes and does not constitute legal advice. Click here for full Terms of Use.

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