Chapter 163
2013 -- S 0671 SUBSTITUTE B
Enacted 07/11/13
A N A C T
RELATING TO
STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- DEPARTMENT OF
ADMINISTRATION
Introduced By: Senator Joshua Miller
Date Introduced: March 06, 2013
It is enacted by the General
Assembly as follows:
SECTION 1. Section 23-84-3 of the General Laws in Chapter
23-84 entitled "The Rhode
Island Climate Risk
Reduction Act of 2010" is hereby amended to read as follows:
23-84-3. Creation
of The
hereby created an independent a commission
known as "The Rhode Island Climate Change
Commission" consisting of twenty-eight (28)
twenty-nine (29) members as follows: three (3) of
whom shall be members of the senate, to be appointed by
the senate president, not more than two
(2) from the same political
party; three (3) of whom shall be members of the house of
representatives, to be appointed by the speaker of the house not more
than two (2) from the same
political party; one of whom shall be the director of the
department of environmental
management, or his or her designee; one of whom shall be the
executive director of the coastal
resources management council, or his or her designee; one of
whom shall be the director of the
department of transportation, or his or her designee; one of
whom shall be the chair of the Rhode
Island bays, rivers, and watersheds coordination team;
one of whom shall be the director of the
of the water resources board, or his or her designee;
one of whom shall be the director of the
division of planning, or his or her designee; one of whom
shall be the state building
commissioner, or his or her designee; one of whom shall be the
director of the
emergency management agency, or his or her designee; two (2) of
whom shall represent
municipal governments of coastal municipalities one appointed by
the senate president and one
appointed by the speaker of the house; two (2) of whom shall be
representatives of environmental
non-profit organizations, appointed by the environment council
of
shall be representatives of business, one designated by the
greater
commerce and one designated by the
whom shall be representatives of higher education
institutions, one appointed by the board of
governors for higher education and one appointed by the
association of independent colleges and
universities of
company having greater than one hundred thousand (100,000)
customers to be appointed by the
senate president; one of whom shall be the executive
director of the
association, or his or her designee; one of whom shall be the
executive director of the Rhode
Island builders association, or his or her designee;
one of whom shall be the executive director of
the American institute of architects of and
one of whom
shall represent the medical profession, including, but not
limited to, a doctor or nurse, to be
appointed by the speaker of the house; and one of whom shall
be the director of the department of
administration, or his or her designee, who shall serve as the
chair..
(b) The purposes of the
commission shall be to study the projected impacts of climate
change on
impacts in order to reduce likely harm and increase economic
and ecosystem sustainability, and
to identify potential mechanisms to mainstream climate
adaptation into existing state and
municipal programs including, but not limited to, policies
plans, infrastructure development and
maintenance.
(c) The commission
shall support its purposes by undertaking the following duties
including but not limited to:
(1) Recommending how to
mainstream climate change, using a climate "lens", into
existing state and local programs, policies and standards, and
identify potential options to
incorporate adaptation strategies.
(2) Compiling existing
studies, research and programs relevant to climate change trends
and potential impacts in
(3) Conducting a
comprehensive overview of the risks
of rising air and water temperatures and sea level,
increased storminess, and more intense
droughts and rainfall events.
(4) Investigating the
vulnerability of critical roads, bridges, protection infrastructure such
as hurricane barriers, dams, and revetments, and public
facilities such as hospitals, schools,
sewage treatment plants, parks and beaches and other
critical utilities to sea level rise, increased
flooding and extended extreme summer heat.
(5) Exploring potential
changes to floodplains and ways to notify homeowners, renters
and commercial property owners of not only a property's
flooding history but also its expected
risk under projected levels of climate change and sea
level rise.
(6) Assessing ecosystem
impacts such as salt marshes, forests, and urban tree canopy and
researching tree and plant species that will be most resilient to
climate change expected in Rhode
Island, as well as ways to secure additional funding
to support the expansion of urban tree canopy
to thirty percent (30%).
(7) Identifying
potential ecosystem based adaptation options where conservation or
restoration of natural ecosystems can provide key ecosystems
services by minimizing risks and
hazards from flooding and drought cycles.
(8) Identifying ways to
increase Rhode Islanders' access to critical community health
services that are expected to become more important as a
result of projected climate impacts.
(9) Investigating
potential impacts from non-point source pollution due to hydrological
changes including stormwater runoff
options for the Phase 2 Narragansett Bay Commission's
Combined Sewer Overflow project, and implementing
small-scale projects such as increasing the
percentage of pervious surfaces in residential areas such as
yards and gardens.
(10) Exploring
possibilities to make funds or low interest loans available for
governmental entities, non-profit entities and businesses to
implement adaptation strategies,
including green infrastructure projects on their properties, including
green roofs, walls, and
bioretention areas.
(11) Investigating
possibilities to expand energy efficiency and weatherization programs
as an adaptation option.
(12) Reviewing, among
other things, existing local ordinances, provisions adopted by
associations, deed restrictions, covenants, declarations or
similar binding agreements, which
prohibit or have the effect of prohibiting the installation of
solar collectors, clotheslines,
weatherization improvements, gardens or other energy devices based
on renewable resources and
proposing alternatives that would eliminate said prohibitions
and authorize these types of uses as
climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies for local
implementation.
(13) Reviewing
possibilities to amend regulations to allow street parking to reduce
impervious surfaces in urban areas and runoff.
(14) Investigating how
to support local agriculture including urban community gardens,
and encouraging municipalities to foster neighborhood
gardens in empty lots and parks.
(15) Developing a plan
to expand access to cooling and relief centers by extending hours
at libraries, community centers and opening pools to the
public.
(16) Identifying
examples and options for outreach and communication on climate
change and adaptation options and recommending opportunities
for coordinated outreach
programs within
(d) One senator and
one representative appointed to the commission shall serve as co-
chairs and shall call the first meeting of the commission. Vacancies shall be filled in like manner
as the original appointment. The membership of the
commission shall receive no compensation
for their services. All departments and agencies of the
state shall furnish such advice and
information, documentary and otherwise, to the commission and its
agents as is deemed
necessary or desirable by the commission to facilitate the
purposes of this chapter. The joint
committee on legislative services is hereby authorized and
directed to provide suitable quarters
for the commission.
(e) The commission
shall provide a report of its findings and recommendations to the
governor and the general assembly no later than March 1, 2011,
and every March 1 thereafter.
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.
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LC01551/SUB B
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