I hope you had a happy Thanksgiving, enjoying a sumptuous meal with loved ones. In this week’s letter, I provide an update on the implementation of the Act on Climate.
A. Background
The General Assembly enacted the Act on Climate in 2021, establishing greenhouse gas reduction mandates to make the State net zero carbon by 2050. The Act on Climate created an Executive Climate Change Coordinating Council (EC4) to oversee its implementation. The EC4 is developing a Climate Action Strategy, or strategic plan to implement the Act. Last Tuesday, the EC4 released a draft executive summary of the plan for public comment. The EC4 is schedule to publish a final report by the end of this calendar year.
B. The Draft Summary’s Concerns and Conclusions
1. Concerns
In general terms, the Act on Climate’s successful implementation rests upon two fundamental changes to our energy infrastructure, namely (1) the conversion of the sectors that currently burn fossil fuels to electric power, and (2) the transition of electric power generation from fossil fuels to renewable sources, such as offshore wind power and solar. The draft executive summary notes several actions by the federal government that undermine these two pillars, such as (a) the rescission of the Advanced Clean Car II (ACCII) standard that permits states to impose stricter emissions limits on motor vehicles and (b) initiatives to stall and constrain offshore wind development.
A coalition of states filed court challenges to federal these initiatives; for example, Rhode Island obtained preliminary relief to allow the continued development of the Revolution Wind offshore wind project. Unfortunately, many other federal obstructions, including a rollback of waivers allowing states to enforce the ACCII standard, are still in effect pending the outcome of litigation.
2. Conclusions
While noting these concerns, the draft executive summary concludes that the 2030 reduction mandates in the Act on Climate are still on track, but that the later reductions in 2040 and 2050 face uncertainty. The draft executive summary identifies certain state-level initiatives (such as enactment of a clean heat standard for buildings) that are instrumental to the Act’s successful implementation, while urging careful consideration of social impacts when moving our economy towards a greener future.
C. Next Steps
1. Public Comment
Over the next few weeks, the EC4 encourages the public to submit comments on the draft executive summary through this portal. I will be interested in these comments; for example, I expect advocacy groups to question the draft executive summary’s assumption that the ACCII standard will be successfully implemented despite the federal government’s actions. A lot is riding on this assumption (among others), as ACCII is the fundamental basis for motor vehicle emissions reductions. EC4 will incorporate these public comments into its final report, scheduled for release at the end of this year.
2. Senate Study Commission
When it returns to session in January, the Senate’s Commission to Study the Successful Implementation of the Act on Climate will begin its review of the EC4 final report. As Chair of that Commission, I will ask Commission members to hold three or four initial meetings, consisting of (1) a presentation by EC4, (2) presentations by interested stakeholders and (3) public comment. There may be a second phase in which the Commission calls in agency heads responsible for the Act’s implementation. My goal is for the Commission to produce a report by the end of this year’s session that will identify a path to the Act’s successful implementation, including recommendations for necessary supporting legislation and agency initiatives. The Commission has established a web page to document its work, and I will provide updates as that work is carried out.