Governor Gina Raimondo has signed an $8.9 billion budget into law. It includes millions of dollars for environmental initiatives. Rhode Island Public Radio news director Elisabeth Harrison gets the details from our environmental reporter Ambar Espinoza.
Interview notes
Among several environmental initiatives, the General Assembly approved:
- $35 million Green Economy Bond, which will be on the November 2016 ballot;
- $100,000 for the Local Agriculture and Seafood Act program;
- $100,000 to support ongoing coastal resiliency work at the University of Rhode Island’s Graduate School of Oceanography;
- several initiatives that support renewable energy, including the Renewable Energy Fund.
The General Assembly did not approve:
- adding two additional enforcement positions at the Department of Environmental Management;
- funding conservation districts through the Community Service Grants; here’s a list of services that conservation districts provide throughout the state.
