PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Governor Gina M. Raimondo today signed an Executive Order
reaffirming Rhode Island's commitment to the principles of the Paris Climate
Agreement. The day after President Trump announced his disappointing decision
to pull the United States out of the historic climate accord, Rhode Island
joined the United States Climate Agreement--a coalition dedicated to fighting
climate change that now includes 11 U.S. states, the District of Columbia and
Puerto Rico.
Home to over 400 miles of shoreline and the
nation's first offshore windfarm, Rhode Island is a national leader in the
fight against climate change. Raimondo has invested in clean energy job growth
over her first two years as Governor, and since 2014, the state has seen a 66 percent increase in jobs
in this sector. In the first year of Governor Raimondo's administration
alone, the state created nearly 4,000 clean energy jobs--more than
doubling projections.
Under Governor Raimondo's leadership, Rhode
Island has taken meaningful steps to create a more sustainable and renewable
future, including:
•
Established aggressive goals to increase
in-state renewable energy tenfold by 2020 and double the state's clean energy
economy to 20,000 jobs by 2020;
•
Issued an Executive
Order requiring Rhode Island to lead by example in energy efficiency
and clean energy, including committing state government to obtaining 100%
renewable energy by 2025;
•
Signed into law a comprehensive
package of progressive energy reforms;
•
Invested $35 million into the state's green
economy through a dedicated bond;
•
Created the RI Infrastructure Bank, a public
green bank dedicated to clean energy finance;
•
Created a Property Assessed Clean Energy
(PACE) program to allow homeowners and businesses to finance
cost-effective energy efficiency and renewable upgrades;
•
Established the Efficient Building Fund, which
has provided over $17 million in financing for public buildings over its first
year of operation; and
Built detailed maps of vulnerability to
sea-level rise and storm surges in order to focus attention on resiliency and
target resources on climate adaptation.