Rhode Island SB 2292: AN ACT RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- THE GREEN JUSTICE ZONE ACT

Bill Text

2024 -- S 2292
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LC004486
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S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2024
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A N A C T
RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- THE GREEN JUSTICE ZONE
ACT
Introduced By: Senators Mack, and Euer
Date Introduced: February 12, 2024
Referred To: Senate Environment & Agriculture

It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
SECTION 1. Title 42 of the General Laws entitled "STATE AFFAIRS AND 1
GOVERNMENT" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following chapter: 2
CHAPTER 17.11 3
THE GREEN JUSTICE ZONE ACT 4
42-17.11-1. Short title. 5
This act may be known and shall be cited as the "Green Justice Zone Act." 6
42-17.11-2. Legislative findings. 7
(a) The state has an affirmative duty to ensure that Rhode Islanders have clean air and clean 8
water. 9
(b) Many communities in the state do not have clean air and clean water, creating a 10
widespread and severe public health crisis. This act will establish the first Green Justice Zone, a 11
model which may be replicated in future years to ensure that all communities throughout the state 12
have clean air and clean water. 13
42-17.11-3. Definitions. 14
As used in this chapter: 15
(1) "Additional environmental remediation project" means the item in the list of available 16
environmental remediation projects which received fewer votes than the selected environmental 17
remediation project, but more votes than every other item in the list of available environmental 18

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remediation projects, during the most recent environmental justice referendum. 1
(2) "Available environmental remediation projects" means the list of environmental 2
remediation projects enumerated in § 42-17.11-17. 3
(3) "Board" means the board of the Green Justice Zone. 4
(4) "Census block group" means a geographic region identified as and referred to as a 5
"census block group" by the U.S. Census Bureau in the 2010 census. 6
(5) "Census tract" means a geographic region identified as and referred to as a "census 7
tract" by the U.S. Census Bureau in the 2010 census. 8
(6) "Chemical manufacturing plant" means a facility that produces or processes chemicals 9
for wholesale or retail distribution. 10
(7) "Chemical storage facility" means a facility that stores chemicals which are intended 11
for wholesale or retail distribution. 12
(8) "Community meetings" means the series of community meetings described in § 42-13
17.11-18. 14
(9) "Employment administrator" means the employment administrator appointed by the 15
board, as provided in § 42-17.11-11. 16
(10) "Environmental justice referendum" means the referendum described in § 42-17.11-17
19. 18
(11) "Environmental remediation workers" means workers who work on the selected 19
environmental remediation project or the additional environmental remediation project within the 20
Green Justice Zone, including employees, contractors, and subcontractors. 21
(12) "Fossil fuel storage facility" means a facility that stores fossil fuel for wholesale 22
distribution. 23
(13) "Green Justice Zone" means the special district encompassing the geographic area 24
specified in § 42-17.11-4. 25
(14) "Green Justice Zone permit" means the permit created in § 42-17.11-12. 26
(15) "Green Justice Zone permit applicant" means any corporation, business, firm, 27
partnership, or individual who has submitted a Green Justice Zone permit application. 28
(16) "Green Justice Zone permit application" means the application to receive a Green 29
Justice Zone permit, as described in § 42-17.11-13. 30
(17) "Industrial facility" means any land, any building or other improvement, and all real 31
and personal property which is designed to be used or routinely is used for industrial, 32
manufacturing, wholesale commercial product distribution, wholesale commercial product 33
transportation, wholesale commercial product storage, or wholesale commercial product 34

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warehousing purposes. Any residential building including, but not limited to, a condominium, a 1
single family housing unit, a multifamily housing unit, an apartment complex, a public housing 2
project, and a residential shelter shall not be considered to be an Industrial facility for the purposes 3
of this chapter. Any building with the primary purpose or use of providing medical treatment, 4
healthcare, medicine, pharmaceutical drugs, physical therapy, massage therapy, psychiatry, or 5
psychotherapy to patients shall not be considered to be an industrial facility for the purposes of this 6
chapter. Any educational facility, including a school, university, tutoring center, or continuing 7
education center shall not be considered to be an industrial facility for the purposes of this chapter. 8
Any gym, recreational center, park, museum, gallery, or library shall not be considered to be an 9
Industrial Facility for the purposes of this chapter. Any retail store shall not be considered to be an 10
Industrial Facility for the pu