TITLE 42

State Affairs and Government

CHAPTER 42-98

Energy Facility Siting Act

SECTION 42-98-1



   § 42-98-1  Legislative findings. –

(a) The general assembly recognizes that reasonably priced, reliable sources of

energy 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 the

environment related to the technologies and energy sources used in some

facilities; that some energy facilities require a major commitment of funds and

resources and require many years to build that the decision to permit or deny

their construction will have long term impact on the economy of the state; that

these decisions will affect the availability and cost of the energy; and that

the evaluation of proposals must recognize and consider the need for these

facilities in relation to the overall impact of the facilities upon public

health and safety, the environment and the economy of the state;



   (b) The general assembly further finds that the authority to

regulate many aspects of the issues involved in the siting of major energy

facilities currently exists in a variety of agencies within the government of

the state and the political subdivisions of the state; that there is

overlapping jurisdiction among several state agencies in the siting of energy

facilities; and that there is the potential for conflicting decisions being

issued by the various agencies having authority over the different aspects of

the 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 eliminate

overlap and duplication and to insure that expeditious decisions are made

within a time frame to be determined by law; and that in addition to the

existing regulation, statewide and regional planning for energy resources and

the assessment of our state's need for energy should be on-going activities

within Rhode Island;



   (d) There is need for a coordinated decision on any major

energy facility; the technical expertise for this evaluation is available

within existing agencies involved with the siting process; and



   (e) There is a need for coordinating and expediting the

review of each state agency and that the authority and responsibility to

perform that function should be established.



History of Section.

(P.L. 1986, ch. 531, § 1.)