2019 -- S 0659

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LC002128

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2019

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S E N A T E   R E S O L U T I O N

RESPECTFULLY REQUESTING AN ASSESSMENT OF THE BENEFITS TO RHODE

ISLAND OF ENACTMENT OF A GREEN NEW DEAL, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED

TO, FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR STATE LEGISLATION BASED ON

GREEN NEW DEAL PRINCIPLES.

     Introduced By: Senators DiPalma, Goldin, Murray, Euer, and Sosnowski

     Date Introduced: March 21, 2019

     Referred To: Senate Environment & Agriculture

     WHEREAS, Rhode Island, since the end of World War II, has typically preceded other

New England states into economic recessions and followed them out of recessions, with the Great

Recession of 2008 being a notable instance of this phenomenon; and

     WHEREAS, The economic well-being of the people of Rhode Island has been impaired

by this state's historic susceptibility to longer recessions and slower economic growth than

adjoining states; and

     WHEREAS, Rhode Island previously had a strong industrial economy with home-grown

national and world-leading manufacturers and has, since the end of World War II, suffered

through periods of economic stagnation that have adversely affected the broad base of its

population; and

     WHEREAS, There is strong scientific and international consensus that the level of

greenhouse emissions must be substantially reduced, and Rhode Island is a participant in this

consensus through the enactment by this General Assembly of the Resilient Rhode Island Act of

2014 and through executive order 17-06 by Governor Gina Raimondo embracing the Paris

Agreement; and

     WHEREAS, The Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Plan issued by the Executive

Climate Change Coordinating Council in December 2016 in accordance with the requirements of

the Resilient Rhode Island Act of 2014, chapter 6.2 of title 42 of the general laws, states

unequivocally that a “business as usual” scenario cannot continue if Rhode Island is to meet its

statutory emission reduction targets for 2035 and 2050; and

     WHEREAS, The national Green New Deal has been developed and presented as a bold

alternative to business as usual scenarios, and includes initiatives pertaining to the following

matters:

     • Providing adequate resources for public efforts for climate change adaptation;

     • Creation of good paying jobs that provide a family a sustaining wage;

     • Securing the following for all people in the United States for generations to come:

     (i) Clean air and water;

     (ii) Climate and community resiliency;

     (iii) Healthy food;

     (iv) Access to nature;

     (v) A sustainable environment; and

     • Reversing deindustrialization and counteracting systemic injustice;

     • Upgrading the building stock, including specifically, affordable, safe, adequate housing;

     • Mitigating pollution, and cleaning up hazardous waste and abandoned sites;

     • Restoring and protecting threatened, endangered and fragile ecosystems;

     • Investing in research and developments and high-quality education for all people;

     • Promoting local economic development and community wealth building and ownership;

     • Assuring high-quality, affordable health care for all people;

     • Achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050; and

     WHEREAS, Rhode Island has proven its ability to be a top-ranked state in terms of clean

energy and energy efficiency and must aim to transform and strengthen its economy to provide

and maintain a good quality of life to the people of the state; now, therefore be it

     RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations

hereby respectfully requests that the Rhode Island Green New Deal Research Council report their

findings and recommendations regarding the potential benefits of green new deal initiatives to the

Senate by May 15, 2019, and submit copies of their report to the Governor, the President of the

Senate, the Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Finance, the Chairperson of the Senate

Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, the Chairperson of the Senate Committee on

Corporations, the Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Labor, the Secretary of the Executive

Office of Commerce, and the chairperson of the Executive Climate Change Coordinating

Council; and be it further

     RESOLVED, That this Senate hereby respectfully requests that the Secretary of the

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Executive Office of Commerce shall consider and report on these findings and recommendations

in the long term economic development vision and policy required by chapter 64.17 of title 42

and that the chairperson of the Executive Climate Change Coordinating Council shall consider

and report on these findings and recommendations in the next update to the greenhouse gas

emissions reduction plan prepared pursuant to chapter 64.17 of title 42; and be it further

     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to

transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to Her Excellency the Governor, the Secretary of

the Executive Office of Commerce and the Chairperson of the Executive Climate Change

Coordinating Council.

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LC002128

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