Rhode Island legislative sessions are short and packed. This session ended with Clean Water Action fending off a last-minute attack on the state law restricting toxic PFAS, but many priority bills remained in limbo as the legislators broke for the summer. Here’s a breakdown of what happened:
First, the good. Industry lobbyists are scrambling across the country to dismantle existing laws restricting toxic PFAS chemicals, particularly in cookware. Clean Water Action and our allies worked hard in 2024 to pass a law banning PFAS from a wide range of everyday consumer products that is set to begin enforcement on New Year’s Day, but on the last weekend of the session, legislation was sneakily proposed that would have delayed the law’s implementation and weakened its protections.
Clean Water Action’s Rhode Island Director, Emily Howe, jumped into action and rallied our legislative allies to stop this effort in its tracks. This matters not only for Rhode Island but also for other states, like Massachusetts, who are currently considering passing PFAS restrictions. Every time legislators and the public rally to oppose industry-supported rollbacks, it sends a message that these protections are here to stay. Rhode Island is done with these toxic “forever chemicals” infiltrating drinking water.
This was also a good year for holding the line on clean energy and climate justice! Despite federal attacks on wind energy nationwide, Rhode Island’s Revolution Wind project is up and running and providing clean, reliable energy to the grid! Meanwhile, proposals to scale back Rhode Island’s clean energy goals and cap energy efficiency programs were defeated by a coalition of environmental organizations, unions, and clean energy providers. The latest state budget reaffirmed Rhode Island’s commitment to achieving our climate goals and providing ratepayers with relief from the rising costs of natural gas infrastructure.
The campaign to improve recycling in Rhode Island didn’t make major waves in the legislature this session, but that was expected. Right now, an implementation study is being conducted to examine the recycling proposals put forth at the end of the 2025 session, so it was expected that further legislative action would be delayed until the completion of that study. Clean Water Action and allies continue to work behind the scenes to build support for policies to fight litter and fix recycling!
Two bills Clean Water Action championed this year fell short – legislation to keep dangerous heavy metals out of personal care products and the RI Voting Rights Act. Both bills will be back in 2027, and Clean Water Action will campaign between now and then to build more support for both.
The session may be over, but the work continues! Follow Clean Water Action on Facebook and Bluesky to stay updated on ways to get involved all summer!
