A Stronger, Regional Approach to Climate Change
Friends ???
As a coastal state, Rhode Island is uniquely vulnerable to climate change. Earlier today, I took executive action and endorsed a stronger, regional approach to fight the climate crisis and expand the green economy.
The proposed expansion of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) ??? which is a coalition of eastern states led by Democratic and Republican governors ??? will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 65 percent by 2030. RGGI is the nation???s first market-based cap-and-trade program and includes Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut and six other eastern states.
It???s more important than ever that states take control of their future. President Trump put states like Rhode Island in harm???s way when he pulled the United States out of the Paris Accord, leaving us on our own to address the realities of a changing climate. So we need to take our own steps to build a green and renewable future.
Rhode Island is a leader. We???re the only state in America with an off-shore wind farm, we???re making it easier for homeowners and businesses to install solar, we???re helping our cities and towns invest in green infrastructure, and we???re working to make our energy system ten times cleaner. Earlier this year, we set a goal to double the number of green jobs in our economy by 2020.
To read today???s RGGI announcement and for more information about the program, visit www.rggi.org.??For a complete list of funded RGGI projects and initiatives in Rhode Island, visit www.energy.ri.gov.??
Have a great rest of the week!
-Gina