CRANSTON, R.I. — Rhode Island state Sen. Gordon Rogers joined a coalition of New England lawmakers and free market policy leaders Tuesday to highlight the devastating impact that alternative energy mandates were having on ratepayers across New England. Speaking at a virtual press conference hosted by the Rhode Island Center for Freedom and Prosperity, CEO Mike Stenhouse warned residents across the region are at risk of freezing in the dark unless state lawmakers repeal unattainable energy mandates.

“Freezing in the dark … it’s not an April Fools Day joke. If RI lawmakers do not repeal our many un-attainable energy mandates, not only will electricity prices soon become un-affordable for many families,” said Stenhouse, “electricity itself may not be available on the coldest of winter nights.”

The event featured a bipartisan coalition of state legislators, including Sen. Ryan Fattman (R-Mass.), Rep. Mark Higley (R-Vt.), Rep. Reagan Paul (R-Maine), and New Hampshire House Majority Leader Jason Osborne (R), as well as representatives from Americans for Prosperity, the Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy, the National Federation of Independent Business, the Maine Policy Institute, and the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance.

Participants argued that mandates like Massachusetts’ Net Zero by 2050 plan — and similar carbon-reduction goals in all six New England states except New Hampshire — are the primary drivers of recent electricity rate hikes.

“For years, politicians have promised that alternative energy mandates would create a clean and affordable future, but the reality is not what we’re seeing. These mandates are driving up reliable energy costs, squeezing homeowners, and forcing small businesses to absorb unbearable price increases. The recent spike in energy prices is not due to tariffs or changes in federal policies on offshore wind, but is a direct result of rigid alternative energy policies like Massachusetts’s 2050 net zero mandate,” noted Paul Diego Craney, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance.

A study conducted by the coalition, The Staggering Costs of New England’s Green Energy Policies, projects that electricity demand in the region will more than double by 2050 due to electrification of heating and transportation sectors. To meet that demand, the report estimates that as much as 225 gigawatts of new renewable energy capacity — including more than 6,600 offshore wind turbines and 129 million solar panels — would be needed to prevent long blackouts. The study estimates the cost of such a buildout at $815 billion.

The report also warns that even this investment might not be enough to meet peak demand in winter, potentially resulting in rolling blackouts that could jeopardize public health and safety.

In addition to net-zero mandates, speakers criticized the growing adoption of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) investment principles by state pension systems. They argued these policies may reduce returns for retirees and further burden taxpayers.

Maine, Vermont, and Rhode Island have enacted ESG-related pension policies, and similar proposals have been introduced in Connecticut and Massachusetts.

These policies limit economic growth and hinder innovation, while offering only marginal environmental benefits. According to the coalition, modeling based on the Biden administration’s own “Social Cost of Carbon” metric suggests the global benefits of the policies fall far short of their projected costs.