2024 -- S 2510 | |
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LC005076 | |
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND | |
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY | |
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2024 | |
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S E N A T E R E S O L U T I O N | |
RESPECTFULLY REQUESTING RHODE ISLAND ENERGY IN CONJUNCTION WITH | |
THE PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION TO SUBMIT A PROPOSAL FOR NEW, MULTI- | |
YEAR ELECTRIC VEHICLE PROGRAMMING | |
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Introduced By: Senators Ujifusa, Gu, Zurier, Ciccone, DiPalma, Mack, McKenney, Bell, | |
Date Introduced: March 01, 2024 | |
Referred To: Senate Commerce | |
1 | WHEREAS, Rhode Island is committed to reducing economy-wide greenhouse gas |
2 | emissions 45 percent under 1990 levels and reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 per the |
3 | Act on Climate; and |
4 | WHEREAS, The transportation sector accounts for 38 percent of Rhode Island's |
5 | greenhouse gas emissions and replacing gasoline-powered vehicles with electric vehicles charged |
6 | on the electric grid in Rhode Island reduces per-mile emissions substantially; and |
7 | WHEREAS, The 2022 Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Plan identifies |
8 | incentivizing electric mobility as a key climate strategy; and |
9 | WHEREAS, Access to electric vehicle charging is one of the primary barriers facing |
10 | consumers who want to make the switch from a gas-powered vehicle to an electric vehicle; and |
11 | WHEREAS, Currently, there are no state or utility incentives to build out more electric |
12 | vehicle charging infrastructure for drivers in Rhode Island; and |
13 | WHEREAS, Make Ready programs, in which electric utilities cover the costs of needed |
14 | wiring upgrades to bring electric service to the charging pad for electric vehicle charging stations, |
15 | significantly bring down the costs of installing electric vehicle charging stations for site hosts; |
16 | and |
17 | WHEREAS, Make Ready programs can be coupled with rebates for electric vehicle |
18 | supply equipment to further bring down the cost of installing charging; and |
19 | WHEREAS, Increased adoption of electric vehicles exerts a downward pressure on |
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1 | electricity rates; and |
2 | WHEREAS, Rhode Island Energy does not currently offer any electric vehicle charging |
3 | infrastructure incentives; now, therefore be it |
4 | RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island hereby requests Rhode Island |
5 | Energy to issue a proposal for new, multi-year electric vehicle programming, to the Public |
6 | Utilities Commission no later than six months after the effective date of this resolution; and be it |
7 | further |
8 | RESOLVED, That this Senate hereby requests that said proposal shall include the |
9 | following: |
10 | • Comprehensive Make Ready offerings for the following segments: residential |
11 | consumers (including multi-unit dwellings), workplaces, public charging sites, and fleets (light-, |
12 | medium- and heavy-duty); |
13 | • Corresponding rebates for electric vehicle supply equipment in all the segments |
14 | referenced above; |
15 | • Greater incentive levels for low-income people or people who live in disadvantaged |
16 | communities; |
17 | • Off-peak charging rebates that: |
18 | (1) Are open for participation via vehicle telematics, smart chargers, or external |
19 | telematics devices; |
20 | (2) Are available for fleet vehicles as well as residential customers; |
21 | (3) Account for all of the benefits of charging off-peak, including: |
22 | (i) Avoided generation costs; |
23 | (ii) Avoided transmission and distribution costs; |
24 | (iii) Avoided emissions and emission costs; |
25 | (iv) Avoided reliability costs; |
26 | (v) Avoided costs due to induced price effects; and |
27 | (vi) Non-energy benefits; and |
28 | • Specific offerings to make charging more available to residents of multi-unit buildings |
29 | or people who park their vehicle on the street, such as curbside or pole-mounted charging pilots; |
30 | and be it further |
31 | RESOLVED, That this Senate hereby requests the Public Utilities Commission to issue at |
32 | least one order that responds to Rhode Island Energy's proposal no later than 12 months after the |
33 | passage of this resolution; and be it further |
34 | RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to |
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1 | transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Chair of the Public Utilities Commission |
2 | and the President of Rhode Island Energy. |
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LC005076 | |
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