Rhode Island 2025 Regular Session

Rhode Island Senate Bill S0641 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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5	5	2025 -- S 0641
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7	7	LC001472
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9	9	S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D
10	10	IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
11	11	JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2025
12	12	____________
13	13
14	14	A N A C T
15	15	RELATING TO PUBLIC PROPERTY AND WORKS -- STATE PURCHASES -- LEAD BY
16	16	EXAMPLE ACT
17	17	Introduced By: Senators Valverde, DiMario, Ujifusa, DiPalma, Sosnowski, Kallman,
18	18	Mack, Murray, Euer, and Lauria
19	19	Date Introduced: March 07, 2025
20	20	Referred To: Senate Environment & Agriculture
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22	22
23	23	It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
24	24	SECTION 1. Chapter 37-2 of the General Laws entitled "State Purchases" is hereby 1
25	25	amended by adding thereto the following sections: 2
26	26	37-2-83. State purchasing ban on plastic bottles. 3
27	27	State funds shall not be used to purchase single-serving bottled water for use in facilities 4
28	28	that are served by public water supplies or potable well water, except when required for safety, 5
29	29	health or emergency situations. 6
30	30	37-2-84. State purchasing -- Electric vehicles. 7
31	31	(a) State funds shall be used to lease or purchase electric vehicles and electric vehicle 8
32	32	infrastructure for use by state agencies. 9
33	33	(b)(1) For purposes of this section, "electric vehicles" means a vehicle that uses one or 10
34	34	more electric motors for propulsion. Electric vehicles include light and medium duty passenger 11
35	35	vehicles, light and heavy-duty vehicles, buses, emergency vehicles, bicycles, and scooters. Electric 12
36	36	vehicles do not include hybrid electric vehicles or HEVs that require use of an internal combustion 13
37	37	engine and emit carbon emissions. 14
38	38	(2) For the purposes of this section, "electric vehicle infrastructure" means structures, 15
39	39	machinery, and equipment necessary and integral to support an electric vehicle, including battery 16
40	40	charging stations, rapid charging stations, and battery exchange stations. 17
41	41	(c) If a combustion engine vehicle cannot be replaced with an electric vehicle due to limited 18
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45	45	supply or inadequate replacement, the state may lease or purchase a hybrid vehicle until a time 1
46	46	when a comparable vehicle is available. If a replacement hybrid vehicle is not available, the state 2
47	47	may lease or purchase a combustion engine vehicle until a time when a comparable electric vehicle 3
48	48	is available. 4
49	49	(d) Consistent with chapter 6.2 of title 42 ("act on climate"), by 2030, forty-five percent 5
50	50	(45%) or more of the state's light-duty fleet shall consist of zero emissions vehicles. 6
51	51	(e) By 2030, the number of electric vehicle charging stations at state-owned properties shall 7
52	52	be at least two hundred (200). 8
53	53	(f) Reporting. The department of administration's capital asset management division shall 9
54	54	prepare an annual report that summarizes the purchasing outlined in this section, which shall 10
55	55	include, but is not limited to, the following: 11
56	56	(1) Number of combustion engine vehicles replaced with same; 12
57	57	(2) Number of combustion engine vehicles replaced with electric vehicles; 13
58	58	(3) Number of combustion engine vehicles replaced with hybrid electric vehicles; and 14
59	59	(4) Number of new electric vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, and combustion engine 15
60	60	vehicles. 16
61	61	(5) The report is due annually on or before January 31 for the previous year, and is to be 17
62	62	provided to the Executive Climate Change Coordinating Council (EC4), the speaker of the house 18
63	63	of representatives, the president of the senate, and the governor. 19
64	64	37-2-85. State purchasing -- Renewable energy and efficient technologies. 20
65	65	(a) State funds shall be used to purchase renewable and energy efficient technologies for 21
66	66	use on state properties to improve existing infrastructure, reduce energy consumption and 22
67	67	greenhouse gas emissions. 23
68	68	(b) For the purpose of this section, "renewable energy technologies" means any system that 24
69	69	collects energy from renewable resources such as sunlight, wind, waves, and geothermal heat. 25
70	70	"Energy efficient technologies" means technology certified as energy efficient, which uses less 26
71	71	energy and reduces pollution. Renewable energy systems and efficient technologies may be located 27
72	72	on or within the physical structure of a state owned building or located on state owned property. 28
73	73	(c) The state shall install renewable energy and efficient technologies in new buildings or 29
74	74	during the renovation or repairing of an existing state property. For new and existing structures, 30
75	75	energy efficient systems may include air conditioning systems, ventilation systems, heating 31
76	76	systems, domestic hot water heating systems, compressed air systems, distribution systems, 32
77	77	lighting systems, power systems, and controls of the building. 33
78	78	(d) The department of administration's capital asset management division shall reduce 34
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82	82	overall site energy use intensity (EUI), defined as weather-normalized BTU per square feet, from 1
83	83	a 2014 baseline at state-owned buildings by twenty percent (20%) or more by 2030; by thirty 2
84	84	percent (30%) by 2040; and by forty percent (40%) by 2050. 3
85	85	(e) Reporting. The department of administration's capital asset management division shall 4
86	86	prepare an annual report that summarizes the purchasing outlined in this section, which shall 5
87	87	include, but is not limited to, EUI at state-owned buildings by property and by building. The report 6
88	88	is due annually on or before January 31 for the previous year, and is to be provided to the Executive 7
89	89	Climate Change Coordinating Council (EC4), the speaker of the house of representatives, the 8
90	90	president of the senate, and the governor. 9
91	91	37-2-86 State purchasing -- Recycling in state buildings. 10
92	92	(a) State funds shall be used to purchase recycling bins for all state buildings to ensure 11
93	93	proper disposal of recyclable items. For any state facility with a cafeteria, state purchasing shall 12
94	94	require the use of biodegradable and compostable materials. Cafeterias shall provide biodegradable 13
95	95	or compostable utensils, straws, cups, plates, and napkins by January 1, 2026. No plastic plates, 14
96	96	cutlery, or drinkware shall be offered after January 1, 2026. 15
97	97	(b) To reduce the amount of waste entering our state landfill, state funds shall be used to 16
98	98	lease or purchase compostable bins for state facilities, along with contracting with a compost 17
99	99	disposal service. 18
100	100	(c) For the purposes of this section, "compostable materials" means an organic material 19
101	101	that has the potential to be composted and not co-mingled or contaminated by significant amounts 20
102	102	of toxic substances. Compostable material includes leaves, twigs, dead flowers, straw, corn stalks, 21
103	103	shredded cardboard and paper, paper towels and napkins, vacuum cleaner bag contents, dryer lint, 22
104	104	untreated wood chips and saw dust, vegetable and fruit scraps, spoiled vegetables and fruits, 23
105	105	eggshells, coffee grounds and filters, tea bags, grass clippings, and fresh plant and yard trimmings. 24
106	106	(d) The state shall require all agencies to implement a recycling and compost program no 25
107	107	later than January l, 2027. 26
108	108	(e) Reporting. The department of administration's capital asset management division shall 27
109	109	prepare an annual report that summarizes the purchasing outlined in this section, which shall 28
110	110	include, but is not limited to, the status of composting and recycling programs by property to 29
111	111	include, where possible, quantitative reporting on volume or weight of material that is composted, 30
112	112	recycled, and landfilled. The report is due annually on or before January 31, for the previous year, 31
113	113	and is to be provided to the Executive Climate Change Coordinating Council (EC4), the speaker of 32
114	114	the house of representatives, the president of the senate, and the governor. 33
115	115	37-2-87. State Purchasing - Leaf blowers. 34
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119	119	For the purpose of this section: 1
120	120	(1) “Gasoline-powered leaf blower” means a combustion engine-powered handheld, 2
121	121	backpack, or walk-behind leaf or grass blower, vacuum, or leaf debris removal device; including 3
122	122	an electric leaf blower connected to a generator powered by gasoline or other fossil fuels; 4
123	123	(b) The following gasoline-powered devices are exempted: 5
124	124	(1) A stationary or tow-behind leaf vacuum, mulcher, debris loader device, or snow blower; 6
125	125	(2) Wildland fire suppression equipment; 7
126	126	(3) Equipment used in prescribed burn management activities; and 8
127	127	(4) Firefighting activities carried out by authorized personnel. 9
128	128	(c) Effective July 1, 2025, the state shall not purchase any gasoline-powered leaf blowers. 10
129	129	The department of administration shall adopt rules and regulations consistent with the purposes of 11
130	130	this section. 12
131	131	(d) Effective January 1, 2028, the state or any contractor or subcontractor hired by the state 13
132	132	shall not use a gasoline-powered leaf blower. 14
133	133	(e) The provisions of this chapter do not affect the authority of any municipality or any 15
134	134	local government to enact standards that are at least as stringent as the ones established in this 16
135	135	section or that commence on an earlier date than those dates established in this chapter. 17
136	136	(f) The state or any contactor or subcontractor employed by the state shall comply with 18
137	137	local government standards that are at least as stringent as the standards established in this section 19
138	138	when managing state property. 20
139	139	SECTION 2. Chapter 37-8 of the General Laws entitled "Public Buildings" is hereby 21
140	140	amended by adding thereto the following section: 22
141	141	37-8-4.1. Certified environmental custodian required. 23
142	142	The department of administration shall ensure that all public buildings pursuant to this 24
143	143	chapter be staffed with at least one custodian certified in the fundamentals of composting and 25
144	144	recycling. Certification pursuant to this section may be achieved through in-person or virtual 26
145	145	instruction with a program approved by the department of environmental management in 27
146	146	coordination with the Rhode Island resource recovery corporation. 28
147	147	SECTION 3. Chapter 42-17.1 of the General Laws entitled "Department of Environmental 29
148	148	Management" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following section: 30
149	149	42-17.1-46. Landscaping by the department -- gasoline powered leaf blowers 31
150	150	prohibited. 32
151	151	Effective January 1, 2028, the department shall not use gasoline powered leaf blowers or 33
152	152	contract with any subcontractor or vendor that uses gasoline powered leaf blowers to maintain the 34
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156	156	grounds of any state property. 1
157	157	SECTION 4. Chapter 24-8 of the General Laws entitled "Construction and Maintenance of 2
158	158	State Roads" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following section: 3
159	159	24-8-11.1. Gasoline powered leaf blowers prohibited. 4
160	160	Effective January 1, 2028, the department shall not use gasoline powered leaf blowers or 5
161	161	contract with any subcontractor or vendor that uses gasoline powered leaf blowers to maintain the 6
162	162	grounds of any state property. 7
163	163	SECTION 5. This act shall take effect upon passage. 8
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170	170	EXPLANATION
171	171	BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
172	172	OF
173	173	A N A C T
174	174	RELATING TO PUBLIC PROPERTY AND WORKS -- STATE PURCHASES -- LEAD BY
175	175	EXAMPLE ACT
176	176	***
177	177	This act would take several measures to lead by example by banning state purchases of 1
178	178	plastic bottles, and would require state funds to be used to lease or purchase electric vehicles and 2
179	179	renewable energy efficient technologies for use on state property. Annual reports would be required 3
180	180	to be filed by January 31, and provided to the Executive Climate Change Coordinating Council 4
181	181	(EC4), the speaker of the house of representatives, the president of the senate, and the governor. 5
182	182	This act would take effect upon passage. 6
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