Latest news with #BillIbelle
Boston Globe
14-04-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
Two R.I. bills offer a way to fund climate action. The cost of doing nothing is far greater.
That's right, ordinary Advertisement This year, the Rhode Island Legislature will consider two bills designed to rectify this situation. Both are based on a principle so simple that every kindergartener understands: If you make the mess, you clean it up. Advertisement One would think this legislation would be a slam dunk, given that two-thirds of the public believe fossil fuel companies should help pay for the carnage they have caused. But money talks, and fossil fuel companies have a lot of it. So the question becomes whether legislators and the governor have the political will needed to correct this upside-down world where the victims pay while the perpetrators make staggering profits? In 2024, ExxonMobil earned profits at $70,513 a minute and But that's an empty threat intended to scare off legislators who are concerned that rising utilities bills are a top concern for their constituents. In reality, oil and gas prices are set by global markets, not individual companies, and if a company were to raise its prices, suppliers would just buy the fuel elsewhere. In addition, the Climate Resilience Act uses a substantial portion of the money raised to provide rebates to individuals and businesses to offset any minor rate increases. While we're talking about consumers, let's not forget the staggering cost of doing nothing. I'm referring to that pesky $182 billion taxpayers spend a year to deal with climate disasters. Advertisement So why are these bills so important? * Because here in the Ocean State, we are particularly vulnerable to sea level rise and the violent storms caused by climate change. * Because the bills will provide funding for projects to make our state more resilient. * Because they will help pay for the damage already caused by climate change. * Because the transition to clean energy will create hundreds, if not thousands, of well-paying jobs and boost the economy. * Because the cost of doing nothing is far greater. * Because we're on our own now. Let's face it, the federal government has abandoned us. The Trump administration is openly hostile to clean energy, has cut off all climate funding to the states, and would rather give tax breaks to the rich than protect ordinary citizens. But the most powerful reason we need to take action now is that our children's future depends on it. We inherited an enormously beautiful planet and it is our responsibility to pass on that planet —unharmed — to the people we love most. Providence-based writer Bill Ibelle is a member of and the Rhode Island chapter of the Citizens Climate Lobby.
Boston Globe
04-03-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
Even if the environment isn't your top priority, renewable energy is common sense
Offshore wind in Rhode Island will create thousands of good-paying union jobs in manufacturing, shipbuilding, port development, and electrical transmission — which is why it is backed by the Get Rhode Map A weekday briefing from veteran Rhode Island reporters, focused on the things that matter most in the Ocean State. Enter Email Sign Up US competitiveness Advertisement China already dominates international markets in the production of solar panels and we can't afford to let the same thing happen with wind turbines. Turbine manufacturing is growing domestically, but it will collapse if Price stability Unpredictable fuel prices pose a major problem for businesses and residents alike. Oil and natural gas prices fluctuate widely based on geopolitical tensions. In contrast, the price of wind power is fixed by Rising insurance rates Insurance rates have skyrocketed nationwide due to the parade of natural disasters caused by climate change. Disaster relief for the recent California wildfires will cost an estimated $250 billion, while last year's Hurricane Helen cost $78 billion. Who pays? We do, through higher taxes and rising insurance rates. Each natural disaster also robs billions in precious tax dollars from essential programs such as education, health care, national security, and more. Advertisement Quality of life It's easy to dismiss wildfires and hurricanes as distant disasters, but Wildlife By far, the biggest threat to marine life — both large and small — is rising ocean temperatures and acidification. This goes for commercial fisheries as well. Any short-term environmental disruption caused by the construction of offshore wind pales in comparison to the oil disasters like the Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska (11 million gallons) or the Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico (200 million gallons). Closer to home, the Argo Merchant spilled 8 million gallons of oil when it ran aground on Nantucket Shoals in 1976, and a tanker spilled 800,000 gallons of home heating oil off Moonstone Beach in 1996, closing 250 square miles of Block Island Sound to commercial fishing. Equity For many of us, power production is out-of-sight/out-of-mind. That's because fossil fuel plants are located in poorer neighborhoods, where they cause respiratory disease and childhood asthma. It's no surprise that Because the federal government is now openly hostile to Advertisement Rhode Island currently has three offshore wind projects in various stages of development that will provide enough clean electricity to power more than 200,000 homes in the state, according to figures from the US Energy Information Survey. But these projects, and many more, are Similarly, So whether your top priority is jobs, national security, personal finance, equity, US competitiveness — or the environment — these initiatives will further your cause. Providence-based writer Bill Ibelle is a member of and the Rhode Island chapter of the .
