RHODE ISLAND â Over the weekend, Gov. Dan McKee signed legislation that will drastically cut the Ocean Stateâs climate emissions over the next two decades.Â
Under the 2021 Act on Climate, the state will develop a plan to incrementally reduce climate emissions to net-zero by 2050. The plan will be updated every five years and will also address areas such as environmental injustices, public health inequities and a fair employment transition as fossil-fuel jobs are replaced by green energy jobs.Â
âWith four hundred miles of coastline, urban and rural coastal communities, fishing and agricultural industries, the Ocean State is on the frontlines of the climate crisis,â McKee said. âThe Act on Climate represents a commitment that not only addresses a moral imperative, but also presents a platform to enhance our economy, public health, environmental equity and natural environment. I look forward to working with the General Assembly, the congressional delegation, local communities, small business, labor, advocates and other stakeholders to ensure those efforts create affordable and sustainable pathways toward a net-zero climate emission future.âÂ