I was appreciative of the opportunity to see the Block Island Wind Farm up close last week. Thank you to The New England for Offshore Wind Coalition for organizing the tour via the Rhode Island Fast Ferry. Rhode Island is on the forefront of experimenting with and implementing renewable energy sources. I believe that transitioning away from fossil fuels now will reduce energy costs, create jobs, and fight climate change. The farm at Block Island is a great example of Rhode Island leading the way in renewables and get us closer to our goal of requiring 100% of Rhode Island's electricity needs be met with renewable energy by 2033. Here I am pictured with my colleagues Rep. Michelle McGaw and Sen. Alana DiMario on the tour.
Opinion – We Can Do It: Creating Jobs, Fighting Climate Change, Stopping Inflation
By Dawn Euer - Read on WhatsUpNewp
As you’ve probably heard by now, Rhode Islanders are looking at huge increases in their energy bills this winter. RI Energy is proposing a 29% increase from last winter’s rates and our home heating bills are set to jump 15% as well.
The reason? We’re still dependent on fossil fuels for most of our energy. According to the U.S. Energy Information Association, in 2020 89% of our electricity and 60% of our home heating came from natural gas. Natural gas prices have nearly quadrupled over the past two years due to instability and war overseas and fossil fuel companies taking advantage of the chaos to gouge consumers. Fossil fuel prices are a huge component of broader inflation, driving up everything from food prices to consumer goods.
Wind and solar power, on the other hand, is more affordable than ever. The Revolution Wind Farm off Cape Cod will be selling electricity to the grid for about $0.07 per kilowatt hour. By contrast, in Rhode Island we will pay nearly $0.18 per kilowatt hour for our on-going fossil fuel dependence.
If we want to lower energy prices and rein in inflation, we need to get off fossil fuels as soon as possible and start producing clean energy here at home.
That’s why I’m so proud of the work we’ve done to make Rhode Island a leader towards a clean energy future. In 2021, I was the lead sponsor of the Act on Climate, trailblazing legislation that puts us on the path to carbon neutrality by 2050. This year, I was the lead sponsor of legislation to jump start the production of responsibly developed off-shore wind. I was also a co-sponsor of the boldest renewable energy standard in the country: by 2033, 100% of our electricity will come from local renewable sources.
Taken together, these efforts are going to create thousands of good paying jobs for Rhode Islanders. We’re going to stop giving our money to fossil fuel companies and despots like Putin, and start supporting the local economy. We’re doing our part to combat climate change and showing the whole world what’s possible. And we’re going to stabilize and lower energy prices for all of us.
Our little state is leading the way towards the future we all deserve. Together, we will do our part to combat climate change, create good jobs here at home, and stop runaway inflation.
Make a Plan to Vote!
I am so proud of the work we did passing the Let RI Vote Act earlier this year, and I am even more proud that Rhode Islanders now have more ways to vote than ever. Let RI Vote codified pandemic-era voting measures that were put in place during the 2020 election. This new law expands voting access for all Rhode Islanders, including access to early voting and vote-by-mail.
Make sure you have a plan to vote this year! It is a big year, with many local, state, and national offices to be filled.
There are three ways to vote in the general election this year:
By Mail Ballot
October 18 – Deadline to apply for a general election mail ballot
November 8 – Deadline to return your general election mail ballot
In-Person during the Early Voting Period
In Jamestown: At Town Hall - 93 Narragansett Ave., Main Door, Monday – Friday 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
In Newport: At Newport City Hall - 43 Broadway, ground floor, far left, directly in front of elevator, Monday – Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Early Voting Period is Wednesday, October 19, 2022 – Monday, November 7, 2022
In-Person on November 8
Register to vote by October 9
Please make a plan to vote, and as always – contact me with any questions you may have at sen-euer@rilegislature.gov
Yours in Service,
Dawn Euer
RI Senate District 13
Jamestown & Newport
Green Report Card gives R.I. Assembly high grades on environment
I’m proud of the work we were able to get done during my 1st term as chair of the Senate Environment & Agriculture Committee. Nothing big ever gets done alone and I truly appreciate the collaboration of the advocates and my colleagues in both chambers. Check out this article from The Boston Globe.
Green Report Card gives R.I. Assembly high grades on environment
Two years after giving the legislature an “incomplete,” the Environment Council hails “the best two years of environmental policymaking in R.I. history”
By Edward Fitzpatrick Globe Staff,Updated September 2, 2022, 11:10 a.m.
PROVIDENCE — Just two years ago, the Environment Council of Rhode Island gave the General Assembly an “incomplete” on its “Green Report Card” because of the state legislature’s lackluster action on environmental measures.
But now the Environment Council is giving the Assembly good grades, declaring this “the best two years of environmental policymaking in Rhode Island history.”
For example, in 2021 the Assembly passed the “Act on Climate” bill, which makes the state’s goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions mandatory and enforceable.
And in 2022, the Assembly passed legislation requiring that 100 percent of electricity sold in the state must come from renewable sources such as wind and solar by 2033 — sooner than any other state in the country.
Voting in 2022
Election season is upon us and I am excited that Rhode Islanders now have more ways to vote than ever, thanks to passage of the Let RI Vote Act. This new law codifies voting measures that were put in place during the 2020 election during the pandemic, such as expanding access to early voting and vote-by-mail.
I have always been very passionate about voting access, something that many of us take for granted, and am so proud of the work my colleagues and I did to pass the Let RI Vote Act.
Since things are a little different this year, I wanted to reach out and make sure you have a plan to vote this year. It is a big year, with many local, state, and national offices to be filled.
There are three ways to vote this year:
By Mail Ballot
September 13 – Deadline to return your primary mail ballot if you applied for one
October 18 – Deadline to apply for a general election mail ballot
November 8 – Deadline to return your general election mail ballot
In-Person during the Early Voting Period
In Jamestown: At Town Hall - 93 Narragansett Ave., Main Door, Monday – Friday 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
In Newport: At Newport City Hall - 43 Broadway, ground floor, far left, directly in front of elevator, Monday – Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
For primary election, Early Voting period is Wednesday, August 24, 2022 – Monday, September 12, 2022
For general election, Early Voting Period is Wednesday, October 19, 2022 – Monday, November 7, 2022
In-Person on November 8
Register to vote by October 9
Please make a plan to vote, and as always – contact me with any questions you may have at sen-euer@rilegislature.gov
Yours in Service,
Dawn Euer
RI Senate District 13
Jamestown & Newport
Newport County lawmakers relentless in pushing for better mental health funding in budget
From Jamie Lahane and Sandra Oxx via WhatsUpNewp:
When new fair rates are set for Newport Mental Health and other community centers in 2024, centers will be able to draw competitive salaries to reduce some of the workforce shortages and equally as important, render more Rhode Islanders on the path to emotional wellbeing.
Rep. Deborah Ruggiero and Sen. DiPalma were the lead sponsors with the support of Reps. Lauren Carson and Terri Cortvriend, and Sens. Dawn Euer and James Seveney on a bill which led to $21 million, one-time American Rescue Plan Act funding being allocated in the budget to maintain and repair the state-owned behavioral health group homes and buildings that have fallen into disrepair across the state.
Another long overdue accomplishment was the inclusion of $1 million of funding for a feasibility study to be done by the Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority to erect safety barriers or netting systems on the bridges connecting the Aquidneck Island to the mainland.
Senate approves Euer bill to protect domestic violence, abuse survivors
The Senate yesterday approved legislation sponsored by Sen. Dawn Euer (D-Dist. 13, Newport, Jamestown) to help protect domestic violence and abuse victims by maintaining the confidentiality of their addresses.
Rhode Island General Assembly approves bill to provide tax relief to year-round Newport residents
The legislation (2022-H 8182, 2022-S 2898A) which is specific to only Newport, allows the city to establish two residential tax rates: one for owner-occupied housing, and one for housing that is not owner-occupied.
“As we know, our whole state and Newport especially are deep in an affordable housing crisis, and residential property tax relief is one tool to help address affordability. We applaud our local officials, particularly the Tax Relief Committee, for their work in developing this idea. Vacation rentals and short-term rentals take away from year-round housing, and while they do provide revenue, they contribute to our city’s housing crisis. Making a distinction between them will give residents the tax relief they need, and encourage property owners to create and maintain the permanent housing we desperately need,” said Senator Euer (D-Dist. 13, Newport, Jamestown).
Let RI Vote Act Signed into Law!
With Rep. Katherine S. Kazarian after bill signing ceremony for Let RI Vote Act, June 8, 2022
The Let RI Vote Act was signed into law by the Governor on June 8! I believe it should be easy to access your right to vote and everyone's voice should be heard, so protecting voting rights has been a priority for me.
Here's what's included in the new law:
Makes vote-by-mail permanent, including an online application
Expands early voting
Makes mail ballot drop boxes permanent
Gives visually impaired voters more time to request a ballot
Make our elections more secure by more frequently updating voter rolls
Rhode Island’s elections in 2020 showed that we can give voters options for casting their ballots while maintaining elections that are safe, smooth and secure, and that doing so significantly improves voter turnout. Removing the roadblocks that discourage voter participation brings our elections closer to what they are supposed to be — the opportunity for all Americans to have their say in their government.
At a time when other states are cutting back on voting rights as a result of disinformation, I am proud that Rhode Island has enacted the largest voting rights expansion in a decade. We need to continue to stay vigilant and fight back against disinformation and protect our right to vote.
Learn more about Let RI Vote here. For information on voting in 2022, click here.
