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South Kingstown sustainability panel urges IRA credits, highlights composting momentum and geothermal tests
Summary
The Sustainability Committee told the Town Council it spent the past year on energy efficiency, waste reduction and water resources, highlighted successful composting partnerships at Rose Hill Transfer Station, announced a Nov. 19 water forum and said geothermal test drilling for the new high school is in feasibility analysis for potential Inflation Reduction Act credits.
Mark DeMornville, chair of the South Kingstown Sustainability Committee, summarized the group's yearlong work Wednesday and urged the council to consider funding and policy steps that would position the town to take advantage of federal clean-energy incentives.
The committee focused on three areas—energy efficiency, waste reduction and water resources—and reported two council-supported resolutions over the past 12 months: a Building Decarbonization resolution and a Composting and Waste Diversion resolution. DeMornville and other members told the council that the town has been named by the Rhode Island Food Policy Council as a top-five community for readiness for composting, and described a partnership with Black Earth Compost that placed public compost bins at the Rose Hill Transfer Station that are “really filling up.”
Committee members said they are advising the school building committee as the new high school design advances. Janine Silversmith and others noted that a geothermal test well has been drilled and is now in a data-analysis phase to determine feasibility and cost; if feasible, a ground-source heat pump would likely be eligible for Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funds and related tax credits. Silversmith and other members also discussed Department of Education CHPS credits for high-performance schools and urged council support for pursuing eligible credits and grants.
The committee announced a community forum on water quality for Nov. 19 at the South Kingstown High School library, listing speakers from the town and regional partners including URI and conservation organizations. Members asked the council to help identify funding sources—both to expand the composting program (including potential town-subsidized pickup options and additional drop-off bins) and to ensure the town is positioned to capture federal incentives for the high-school project.
The presentation closed with committee members offering to coordinate ongoing engagement with school-design teams and state-level programs to maximize sustainability points and potential reimbursements. The council thanked the committee and invited further staff follow-up on funding options and technical feasibility.
