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

Key Offices & Links

30

Policies Enacted or In Progress

across 6 policy areas

See all

32

Policy Opportunities

across 7 policy areas

See all

Northeast

9 states

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

Compare with other states

Progress by Policy Area

Enacted
In-progress
Partially Enacted
Not Enacted

Glossary of Terms

Status	Policy	Policy Area	Policy Category	YR Enacted
Enacted	Clean Energy and Renewable Portfolio Standards Empty column 100% renewable energy by 2033 Establishing Policies HB 7277A (2022)	Electricity	Energy Plans and Targets	2022
Not Enacted	Electricity Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Targets 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	Clean Energy Plans Empty column The Road to 100% Renewable Electricity by 2030 in Rhode Island Establishing Policies Executive Order 20-01 (2020) The Road to 100% Renewable Electricity by 2030 in Rhode Island (2020)	Electricity	Energy Plans and Targets	2020
Not Enacted	Distributed Generation/Solar Carve-out 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. Establishing Policies SPOT - Distributed Generation/Solar Carve-out in Rhode Island Policy Components not-enacted not-enacted not-enacted not-enacted not-enacted 0/5	Electricity	Clean Energy Generation
Partially Enacted	Net Metering 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. Establishing Policies SPOT - Net Metering in Rhode Island SPOT - Aggregate Net Metering in Rhode Island Policy Components enacted enacted not-enacted enacted not-enacted not-enacted enacted enacted enacted enacted enacted 8/11	Electricity	Clean Energy Generation
Partially Enacted	Shared Renewables 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. Establishing Policies SPOT - Shared Renewables in Rhode Island Policy Components enacted enacted enacted enacted not-enacted enacted 5/6	Electricity	Clean Energy Generation
Enacted	Community Choice Aggregation Empty column Rhode Island has an active community choice aggregation program. Establishing Policies HB 7786 (2002) HB 5536 (2017) SB 877 (2017)	Electricity	Clean Energy Generation	2002
Enacted	Energy Storage Targets Empty column 90 megawatts (MW) of energy storage by 2026, 195 MW by 2028 and 600 MW by 2033 Establishing Policies S 2499 A (2024)	Electricity	Transmission, Distribution, and Energy Storage	2024
Enacted	Interconnection Standards Empty column Rhode Island received a C grade from Freeing the Grid. Establishing Policies Freeing the Grid Rhode Island Grade (2023)	Electricity	Transmission, Distribution, and Energy Storage	2023
Not Enacted	Coal Phaseouts Empty column Coal phaseouts establish a target year by which states must end coal-fired power generation.	Electricity	Coal Retirement
Not Enacted	Coal Plant Securitization 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

Rhode Island

Key Offices & Links

30

32

Northeast

Progress by Policy Area

Climate Governance and Equity

Cross-Sector

Electricity

Buildings and Efficiency

Transportation

Industry, Materials, and Waste Management

Natural and Working Lands

Greenhouse Gas Emissions Projections in Rhode Island