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H 7884Energy Efficiency

Public Utilities and Carriers - Federal Backstop Language

If federal energy efficiency rules are removed, Rhode Island will permanently adopt the federal rules that existed on January 19, 2025.

Held for study
Population
Affected
75
Email Legislator
Introduced Feb 27, 2026Committee House Corporations

Plain-English Summary

This legislation establishes a "backstop" for energy and water efficiency standards in Rhode Island. It mandates that if federal conservation standards existing as of January 19, 2025, are withdrawn or repealed by the federal government, Rhode Island will adopt those specific 2025 federal standards as state law. This ensures that appliances and products sold in the state maintain specific efficiency levels even if federal regulations are relaxed. The bill outlines requirements for manufacturer testing and certification, grants enforcement powers to the Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources, and establishes penalties for non-compliance.

For younger readers

There are rules for how much electricity or water machines like dishwashers and refrigerators are allowed to use. The United States government usually sets these rules. This new law says that if the United States government decides to get rid of these rules later, Rhode Island will keep using the rules that were in place on January 19, 2025. This means companies must still make machines that do not waste energy if they want to sell them in Rhode Island. If companies cheat and sell wasteful machines, they will have to pay a fine.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups
Appliance ManufacturersRetailers and DistributorsConsumers (Homeowners and Renters)Rhode Island Office of Energy ResourcesLandlords and Property Managers
Impacted communities
All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely

Estimated cost
Amount unknown
Estimated revenue
Amount unknown

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints
For Progressives
  • Protects the environment and climate goals by preventing a rollback of energy efficiency standards, ensuring that deregulation at the federal level does not lead to increased energy consumption and pollution in the state.
  • Safeguards consumers, particularly low-income households, from purchasing inefficient appliances that would result in higher long-term utility bills.
  • Asserts state autonomy to maintain high regulatory standards for public welfare, acting as a firewall against potential right-wing federal efforts to dismantle the administrative state and environmental protections.
  • Locks standards into a specific date (January 2025), potentially creating a ceiling that prevents the adoption of even more progressive, stricter efficiency technologies that may be developed in the future.
  • The financial penalties ($100 to $500) may be viewed as negligible "costs of doing business" for large multinational manufacturing corporations, potentially failing to deter non-compliance effectively.
  • Relies heavily on manufacturer self-certification and third-party databases, which corporate entities could potentially manipulate without aggressive, independently funded state oversight.
For Conservatives
  • Exercises the principles of federalism by asserting the state's right to manage its own commercial standards independent of Washington D.C.'s changing policies.
  • Includes a specific provision that respects the judicial branch, ensuring that any standard struck down by a court is not enforced by the state, thereby upholding the rule of law.
  • Provides regulatory certainty for businesses by sticking to known, existing standards rather than creating entirely new, unique state-level mandates that manufacturers might struggle to meet.
  • Creates a "zombie" regulatory burden where the state enforces rules that the federal government may have determined were unnecessary, overly burdensome, or economically damaging to repeal.
  • Increases the size and power of the state bureaucracy, granting the Office of Energy Resources broad authority to inspect private businesses and levy fines.
  • Imposes testing and compliance costs on manufacturers and retailers, which will likely be passed down to consumers in the form of higher prices for appliances and goods.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 53 additions

SECTION 1. Title 39 of the General Laws entitled "PUBLIC UTILITIES AND CARRIERS" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following chapter: 39-3.1-1. Federal backstop language. If any of the energy or water conservation standards issued or approved for publication by the office of the United States Secretary of Energy as of January 19, 2025, pursuant to the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (Parts 430-431 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations), are withdrawn, repealed, or otherwise voided, the minimum energy or water efficiency level permitted for products previously subject to federal energy or water conservation standards in this state shall be the applicable federal standards as of January 19, 2025, and no such new product may be sold or offered for sale, lease or rent in this state unless it meets or exceeds such standards. This section shall not apply to any federal energy or water conservation standard set aside by a court upon the petition of a person who will be adversely affected, as provided in Section 6306(b) of Title 42 of the United States Code. 39-3.1-2. Testing, certification, labeling, and enforcement.

(a) The manufacturers of products covered by this chapter shall test samples of their products in accordance with the test procedures found in the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (Parts 430-431 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations) as of January 19, 2025, in accordance with the federal test procedures as in place on January 19, 2025. Rhode Island energy may adopt updated test methods by regulation when new versions of test methods become available or when an alternative test method has been adopted by another state or the federal government.

(b) Manufacturers of new products covered by this chapter shall certify that such products are in compliance with the provisions of this chapter to the Modernized Appliance Efficiency Database System, the State Appliance Standards Database, and the Certified Products Directory, or to an approved third-party database as determined by the Rhode Island office of energy resources. Such certifications shall be based on test results. The agency may promulgate regulations further governing the certification of such products and may coordinate with the certification programs of other states and federal agencies with similar standards.

(c) The Rhode Island office of energy resources (the “agency”) may test products covered by this chapter. If products so tested are found not to be in compliance with the minimum efficiency standards, the agency shall:

(1) Charge the manufacturer of such product for the cost of product purchase and testing; and

(2) Make information available to the attorney general and the public on products found not to be in compliance with the standards.

(d) The agency may cause periodic inspections to be made of distributors or retailers in order to determine compliance with the provisions of this chapter. The commission shall investigate complaints received concerning violations of this chapter.

(e) If the agency finds that any person has committed a violation of any provision of this chapter, the agency shall issue a warning to such person. Any person who commits a violation after the issuance of such warning shall be subject to a civil penalty, issued by the agency, of up to one hundred dollars ($100) for each offense. Any further violations committed by such person after a second violation shall be subject to a civil penalty of not more than five hundred dollars ($500) for each offense. Each product offered, sold, or distributed in violation of this chapter shall constitute a separate violation, each violation shall constitute a separate offense, and each day that such violation occurs shall constitute a separate offense. Penalties assessed under this subsection are in addition to costs assessed under this section.

(f) If the agency finds repeated violations have occurred, the agency shall report the results of such violations to the attorney general. The attorney general may institute proceedings to seek an injunction in state court to enforce the provisions of this chapter.

(g) The agency may adopt such further rules and regulations as necessary to ensure the proper implementation and enforcement of the provisions of this chapter. 39-3.1-3. Severability. If any provision of this chapter or the applicability thereof to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the remainder of the chapter and the application of the provision to other persons or circumstances shall not be affected thereby.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.