State Codes and Statutes
Statutes > Rhode-island > Title-42 > Chapter-42-98 > 42-98-1SECTION 42-98-1
§ 42-98-1 Legislative findings. – (a) The general assembly recognizes that reasonably priced, reliable sources ofenergy are vital to the well-being and prosperity of the people of this state;that there are major issues of public health and safety and impact upon theenvironment related to the technologies and energy sources used in somefacilities; that some energy facilities require a major commitment of funds andresources and require many years to build that the decision to permit or denytheir construction will have long term impact on the economy of the state; thatthese decisions will affect the availability and cost of the energy; and thatthe evaluation of proposals must recognize and consider the need for thesefacilities in relation to the overall impact of the facilities upon publichealth and safety, the environment and the economy of the state;
(b) The general assembly further finds that the authority toregulate many aspects of the issues involved in the siting of major energyfacilities currently exists in a variety of agencies within the government ofthe state and the political subdivisions of the state; that there isoverlapping jurisdiction among several state agencies in the siting of energyfacilities; and that there is the potential for conflicting decisions beingissued by the various agencies having authority over the different aspects ofthe siting of a major energy facility;
(c) The jurisdiction of each state agency should be defined,and the role of each agency in energy siting should be delineated, to eliminateoverlap and duplication and to insure that expeditious decisions are madewithin a time frame to be determined by law; and that in addition to theexisting regulation, statewide and regional planning for energy resources andthe assessment of our state's need for energy should be on-going activitieswithin Rhode Island;
(d) There is need for a coordinated decision on any majorenergy facility; the technical expertise for this evaluation is availablewithin existing agencies involved with the siting process; and
(e) There is a need for coordinating and expediting thereview of each state agency and that the authority and responsibility toperform that function should be established.
