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House hearing pits business concerns over costs and data privacy against city and climate advocates pushing building benchmarking and performance standards
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Summary
Representative Kislak's paired bills (H7183 benchmarking; H7184 performance standards) drew broad support from climate and city officials and opposition from business groups worried about costs and public posting of building-level data. Providence officials described a low-cost, vendor-supported rollout and 42% early compliance. Committee members asked for more cost detail and agency participation.
Representative Rebecca Kislak told the House Environment Committee she submitted two companion bills to measure and reduce emissions from large buildings: H7183 would require benchmarking and public reporting pathways, and H7184 would establish building performance standards and require covered owners to produce carbon-reduction plans.
Supporters described benchmarking as a pragmatic first step. Tina Munter of Green Energy Consumers Alliance and Emily Ku of Acadia Center said benchmarking gives building owners the data they need to find cost-effective efficiency measures and prepare for future performance standards. "Benchmarking and performance standards are proven policies," Ku said, adding the Climate Action Strategy identifies building measures as a leading pathway to meeting statewide emissions targets.
Priscilla Dela Cruz, Providence’s director of sustainability, presented the city's multi-year "bureau" benchmarking rollout as a model. Providence contracts software that links Energy Star Portfolio Manager with utility data, pays vendor fees and offers technical assistance to building owners; Dela Cruz said the city achieved a 42% compliance rate in its early reporting phase and estimates minimal reporting burden for covered properties. "We learned that our largest building owners had been waiting for this," she said, and noted the city covers software costs for private owners in its program’s early years.
Business groups and some Realtors raised concerns. Lynette Foray Menard of the Northern Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce warned that publicly posting building-specific energy metrics could expose proprietary operational data and that businesses may need financial assistance to meet future standards. Trevor Chase of the Rhode Island Association of Realtors and Paul Harrison (a Realtor) said retrofit costs for older buildings can be substantial and urged clarity on cost estimates and timelines. "Without clear costs, H7184 could place significant financial strain on property owners," Harrison said.
Proponents countered that the bills apply only to the state's largest buildings and that benchmarking is low-cost and readiness-oriented: Bill Ibelle (Climate Action Rhode Island) and other advocates said Providence already had done much of the administrative work and that available state programs, utility portals and federal incentives can help owners access rebates and on-bill repayment. Several committee members asked that the Office of Energy Resources and Department of Environmental Management attend future hearings to clarify administrative plans and any needed supports.
The hearing did not yield a committee vote on either bill. Sponsors and witnesses emphasized compromise on data publication details and financial assistance mechanisms may be needed as the rules are developed.
