Please Tell The Legislature To Stop Clearing Forest For Solar Development

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Solar development is responsible for 69% of Rhode Island’s recent forest loss, according to DEM.

Continuing to provide economic incentives to clear cut thousands of trees in pursuit of renewable energy is unacceptable and unnecessary. It is counterproductive for Rhode Island to continue to encourage the clearing of forests that are needed to help Rhode Island mitigate the harmful effects of climate change as well as provide clean air, water, habitat and contribute to our quality of life. We can and must do better.

House Bill H 5540 sponsored by Representative Megan Cotter will establish more responsible solar siting.

House Bill H 5540 was written by Grow Smart Rhode Island and will remove the economic incentives that are encouraging solar development on forests. Instead it will direct these incentives to limit solar development to previously developed and disturbed “preferred sites” that include: landfills, gravel pits, brownfields, carports, commercial and industrial zones and all rooftops. These preferred sites have by far the least conflicts for solar siting, and solar development can be accelerated in appropriate locations. This will also remove solar development pressure off our farms, forests and important wildlife habitats. Moreover, the public will stop paying for solar development on forests by the extra fees they pay on their monthly electric bills.

Your help is needed to support this bill. We need to get it passed. Next Year is too late! Our forests cannot survive another year of clear cutting. Sample testimony below, and instructions on how and where to send. You can use all or parts of the below or write your own testimony, but please tell the legislature to stop providing incentives to clear our forests.

Written testimony must be submitted by March 30 at noon (12 p.m.).

Sample Testimony Below


House Corporations Committee March 30, 2023
Rhode Island General Assembly
82 Smith Street
Providence, RI 02903
RE: Support H 5540 Relating to Public Utilities and Carriers

Dear Chairman Solomon and Members of the Committee:

I respectfully urge the House Corporations Committee to adopt H 5540. I commend the sponsors of this important legislation, Representatives Cotter, Bennet, Cortvriend, Donovan, Kennedy, McGaw, Morales, Place, Speakman and Tanzi for recognizing the need to reform Rhode Island’s renewable energy siting programs to encourage more responsible development.

I strongly support limiting State renewable energy incentives for solar development to the preferred sites defined in this bill. Rhode Island needs both renewable energy and forests to achieve the mandates in the Rhode Island Act on Climate. However, 69% of RI’s recent forest loss has been caused by solar developments. It is counterproductive to have State renewable energy incentives that are encouraging the development of Rhode Island’s forests with solar developments. Moreover, forests have so many other values, such as providing clean fresh air and safe drinking water. Eliminating incentives that have been encouraging the loss of forest and valuable habitat from renewable energy development is absolutely necessary and long overdue.

RI can meet our renewable energy goals without siting solar in forests. A 2020 study entitled Solar Siting Opportunities for Rhode Island found there was the potential on developed/disturbed sites to site solar that could eliminate as much as 70 percent of Rhode Island’s total, current greenhouse gas emissions. The developed/disturbed sites in the study are the same as the preferred sites defined in this bill. Moreover, offshore wind has been determined by a 2020 study, by the Brattle Group, to be more cost effective than utility scale solar. Therefore the majority of RI’s renewable energy will be generated by off shore wind and the remainder can be solar sited on developed/disturbed sites as well as other sources of renewable enrgy.

My electric bill includes a surcharge to subsidize renewable energy. I’m adamantly opposed to any of these funds being used to encourage solar development on forests or important habitat.

Thank you for the opportunity to comment

Sincerely,

Your name and address

Cc: House Speaker Shekarchi,
Representative Tina Spears