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Dear <<First Name>>,
When Rhode Island became at least the tenth state to codify a commitment to 100% clean or renewable energy, I did a little jump for joy.
Not too long ago, Environment America, the organization that works in collaboration with our non-profit owners, set a goal of getting ten states to join the 100% Renewable Campaign. It was such an audacious goal that even other environmental advocates laughed at the idea.
But Environment America knew the public supported the vision and, as they showed in their 2016 report, We Have the Power, the availability of clean renewable energy wasn’t the thing holding us back. The country was simply lacking the imagination to enact the vision.
But the vision of ten states committed to 100% renewables became a reality when Rhode Island Governor Daniel McKee signed a bill into law on June 29, 2022, committing the state to procuring electricity from 100% renewable sources by 2033 -- the fastest timeline of any state in the nation.
That’s not to say that Rhode Island’s new law or any of the other renewable energy commitments were easy to achieve. After Hawaii passed a 100% commitment, state campaigns for 100% renewable energy started in earnest in California. In 2018, Environment California enlisted the support of thousands of engaged citizens, hundreds of organizations, and dozens of lawmakers to win the symbolically named Senate Bill 100, a state-wide commitment to 100% zero-carbon energy by 2045.
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California Governor Jerry Brown after signing SB 100, Environment California’s Dan Jacobson looks on.
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California’s new law set off a wave of climate action in other states. In 2019, New Mexico and Washington signed similar bills into law. By mid-2021, nine states had enacted 100% legislation, including Maine, New York, Virginia, Oregon, and Illinois.
Now Rhode Island too has joined the 100% club.
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Yet our transition to a cleaner economy must move even faster, so Environment America and its in-state partner groups have already announced plans to campaign for 100% clean or renewable goals in 10 more states: Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wisconsin.
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Sincerely,
Leslie Samuelrich
President
Green Century Capital Management
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