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 1990 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
Not Enacted	Electric Vehicle Rebates 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	Low-Emission Vehicle (LEV) Standards Empty column Rhode Island LEV Program Establishing Policies 250-RICR-120-05-37 (2023)	Transportation	Light-Duty Vehicles	2023
Enacted	Zero-Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Mandates 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. Establishing Policies Advanced Clean Cars II (2023) Advanced Clean Cars II Program	Transportation	Light-Duty Vehicles	2023
Enacted	Low NOx Omnibus Rules Empty column The Low NOx Omnibus Rule applies to Model Year 2027 onwards. Establishing Policies Low-NOx Heavy Duty Omnibus (HDO) (2023)	Transportation	Medium- and Heavy-Duty Vehicles	2023
Enacted	Medium- and Heavy-Duty (MHD) Zero-Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Mandates 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. Establishing Policies Advanced Clean Trucks Rule (2023) Advanced Clean Trucks Program	Transportation	Medium- and Heavy-Duty Vehicles	2023
Not Enacted	Medium- and Heavy-Duty Electric Vehicle (EV) Rebates 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
Not Enacted	Electric Bus Procurement Targets 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	Public Fleet Electric Vehicle (EV) Procurement Targets Empty column 25% of the light-duty state fleet are ZEVs by 2030 Establishing Policies Executive Order 23-06 (2023)	Transportation	Lead by Example	2023
Not Enacted	Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Infrastructure Rebates 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	Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Infrastructure Requirements 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 SB 988 (2023)	Transportation	EV Charging Infrastructure	2023
Enacted	Electric Vehicle (EV) and EV Charging Infrastructure Plans Empty column A Strategic Policy Guide for Improving Public Access to Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure in Rhode Island Establishing Policies A Strategic Policy Guide for Improving Public Access to Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure in Rhode Island (2022) H 5031 (2021) S 0994 (2021)	Transportation	Transportation Plans and Targets	2022
Not Enacted	Low Carbon Fuel Standards 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
Not Enacted	Transportation Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Targets 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
Partially Enacted	Bicycle Friendly States Empty column Rhode Island is ranked 21st out of 50 in the 2022 Bicycle Friendly State rankings by the League of American Bicyclists. Establishing Policies Rhode Island Bicycle Friendly State Scorecard Policy Components enacted enacted enacted not-enacted not-enacted 3/5	Transportation	Public and Active Transportation

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