Rhode Island AG Called for Stronger Carbon Reduction Strategy from State Department of Transportation

NOVEMBER 9, 2023

Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha sent a comment letter to the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) regarding its proposal to reduce the state’s carbon emissions, which the department drafted in order to secure federal transportation funding. In his comments, the AG argued that the strategy fails to actually identify ways that the department will implement funding in order to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the state’s transportation sector. Instead, the strategy proposed allocating significant funds towards pre-planned projects that do not “substantially ‘move the needle’ when it comes to carbon reduction,” as the department itself said in the proposal. “It is concerning, to say the least, when I see that RIDOT’s plan for critical federal dollars for carbon reductions fails to meet the moment; not only falling short of the goals we must meet, but suggesting a proposal at odds with the existing statewide plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” said AG Neronha in a statement. The AG provided specific recommendations for improving the proposed strategy.