Rhode Island : 2018 Regular Session : RESOLUTION H7408

Passed

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House Resolution Amending The Membership And Extending The Reporting And Expiration Dates Of The Special Legislative Commission To Study The Establishment Of Procedures To Regulate And License The Intentional Manipulation Of The Global Environment Through Geoengineering (amends The Membership Of The Commission To Study The Regulation And Licensure Of Geoengineering From 5 To 7 Members And Extends The Reporting And Expiration Dates From April 2, 2018, To February 7, 2019, And Expires On May 7, 2019.)

Sponsor: Rep Justin Price

Bill Details

Bill summary

Rhode Island House Resolution 7408 amends and extends the special legislative commission originally established in 2017 to study geoengineering regulation and licensure. The resolution modifies the commission's composition, extends its deadline for reporting findings, and provides additional time for the commission to complete its work. This represents a continuation of Rhode Island's legislative efforts to address geoengineering through a study-first approach rather than immediate regulation. The resolution rescinded the original reporting deadline of 2nd April 2018 and expiration date of 2nd June 2018 that had been established when the commission was created in September 2017. The new deadline for the commission to report its findings and recommendations to the House of Representatives is extended to 7th February 2019, with the commission expiring on 7th May 2019. This extension provides the commission with an additional ten months beyond its original mandate to complete its comprehensive study of geoengineering technologies and develop policy recommendations. The resolution substantially restructures the commission's membership, expanding it from five to seven members whilst changing its composition to include greater expertise and diverse perspectives. The amended commission consists of three members of the Rhode Island House of Representatives, with two from the minority party and one from the majority party, all to be appointed by the Speaker of the House. This represents a shift from the original configuration which allowed up to three members from the same party. The four additional non-legislative members include the Commissioner of the Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources or designee, bringing energy policy expertise to the commission's deliberations; a member of the general public with an interest in geoengineering to be appointed by the Speaker of the House, ensuring public representation; a member of the general public who is a former employee of a defence contractor that provided services or supplies to the United States Department of Defence to be appointed by the Speaker of the House, adding technical and military-related expertise; and a member with a Master's degree or higher in the field of Ecological Science, ensuring scientific expertise in environmental impacts. This restructured membership reflects an effort to broaden the commission's expertise beyond purely legislative perspectives to include energy policy, scientific, defence-related, and public stakeholder input. The inclusion of a defence contractor representative suggests recognition that geoengineering technologies may have military applications or defence-related implications. The ecological scientist ensures the commission has access to expertise in understanding potential environmental consequences of geoengineering activities.

History

The resolution was introduced on 1st February 2018 by Representative Justin Price, the same legislator who had sponsored both the 2017 direct regulation bill and the original 2017 resolution creating the study commission. The introduction came approximately four months after the original commission was established and just two months before its initial reporting deadline. The timing suggests the commission recognised it required additional time and expertise to complete its mandate comprehensively. The resolution was referred to the House Environment and Natural Resources Committee. A hearing was scheduled for 1st March 2018. Following that hearing, the committee initially recommended on the same day that the measure be held for further study, which typically signals reluctance to advance legislation. However, consideration was scheduled for 2nd March, indicating continued committee interest. A meeting scheduled for 6th March was postponed to 8th March, and further consideration was scheduled for 29th March 2018. On 29th March, the committee reversed its initial recommendation and voted to recommend passage, suggesting that concerns about extending and restructuring the commission had been addressed through discussion and possibly amendments during the committee process. The resolution was placed on the House Calendar on 30th March 2018 with floor consideration scheduled for 3rd April. The House read and passed the resolution on 3rd April 2018, approximately one month before the original commission's scheduled expiration date. The passage provided the commission with breathing room to continue its work without interruption and ensured the addition of technical and scientific expertise deemed necessary for comprehensive study. This marked the second consecutive year that the House successfully passed a geoengineering study resolution, demonstrating sustained legislative interest in understanding these technologies before imposing regulations. The extension and restructuring suggest the original five-member legislative-only commission determined that completing a thorough study of geoengineering technologies required additional time, broader expertise, and input from energy, defence, scientific, and public stakeholders.

Thu 01 Feb 2018 Introduced, referred to House Environment and Natural Resources
Mon 19 Feb 2018 Scheduled for hearing and/or consideration (03/01/2018)
Thu 01 Mar 2018 Committee recommended measure be held for further study
Fri 02 Mar 2018 Scheduled for consideration
Tue 06 Mar 2018 Meeting postponed (03/08/2018)
Fri 23 Mar 2018 Scheduled for consideration (03/29/2018)
Thu 29 Mar 2018 Committee recommends passage
Fri 30 Mar 2018 Placed on House Calendar (04/03/2018)
Tue 03 Apr 2018 House read and passed

Supplementary documents

No supplementary documents available

Bill text

H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N
AMENDING THE MEMBERSHIP AND EXTENDING THE REPORTING AND EXPIRATION DATES OF THE SPECIAL LEGISLATIVE COMMISSION TO STUDY THE ESTABLISHMENT OF PROCEDURES TO REGULATE AND LICENSE THE INTENTIONAL MANIPULATION OF THE GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT THROUGH GEOENGINEERING
Introduced By Representative Justin Price
Date Introduced February 01 2018
Referred To House Environment and Natural Resources
RESOLVED That the special legislative commission created by resolution No 374 passed by the House of Representatives at its January session A.D. 2017 and approved September 19 2017 entitled House Resolution Creating a Special Legislative Commission to Study the Establishment of Procedures to Regulate and License the Intentional Manipulation of the Global Environment Through Geoengineering is hereby authorized to continue its study and make a report to the House of Representatives on or before February 7 2019 and said commission shall expire on May 7 2019 and be it further
RESOLVED That the time for reporting authorized by resolution No 374 passed by the House of Representatives at its January session A.D. 2017 and approved September 19 2017 be and the same is hereby rescinded and be it further
RESOLVED That the composition of said house commission is hereby amended to consist of seven 7 members three 3 of whom shall be members of the Rhode Island House of Representatives two 2 of whom shall be members of the minority party and one of whom shall be a member of the majority party to be appointed by the Speaker of the House one of whom shall be the Commissioner of the Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources or designee one of whom shall be a member of the general public with an interest in geoengineering to be appointed by the Speaker of the House one of whom shall be a member of the general public who is a former employee of a defence contractor that provided services or supplies to the United States Department of Defence to be appointed by the Speaker of the House and one of whom shall be a member with a Masters degree or higher in the field of Ecological Science