Every Community Counts: News From Lt. Governor Dan McKee
Creating Savings for Electric Ratepayers
Last week, I filed a
motion to intervene in National Grid's Standard Offer Service Procurement Plan to oppose the Grid's 53-percent standard offer electric rate increase now pending before the Public Utilities Commission.
My office was the only group to formally intervene against the rate hike on behalf of Rhode Island ratepayers.
Rhode Islanders may not know that because of the work my office has done over the last 2 years, ratepayers can now shop their electricity on
Empower RI to find the best prices for their homes and businesses. Today, Rhode Islanders can lock in a price for six months using Empower RI and avoid most, if not all, of the proposed 53-percent rate increase that may take effect in October. I encourage all Rhode Islander's to shop and save using this safe, simple website.
If you have any questions about Empower RI, call my office at (401) 222-2371.
Since day one, improving Rhode Island's small business climate has been a top priority for my office.
Last month, I teamed up with the East Greenwich Chamber of Commerce to host the 3rd televised Advance RI Small Business Forum at Finn's Harborside in East Greenwich. These forums give our small business community the chance to go on the record about challenges they face and how we can help them overcome those challenges. During our East Greenwich forum, business owners gave their feedback on workforce training issues, recycling costs for small businesses, paid sick leave and increases to the minimum wage.
Thank you to the small business owners who participated in our panel discussion: Mark Finn of Finn’s Harborside, Pete Fontaine of Epoch Sleep Centers, Jessica Granatiero of The Savory Grape, Lois Hollingsworth of Zuzu's and Mike Mancuso of Cartridge World Franchise.
I'm looking forward to exploring issues raised during the forum as my office works to create a small business legislative package.
One of my final acts as Chair of the
National Lieutenant Governors Association (NLGA) was signing the State Military & Veterans Arts Initiative at our summer meeting in Nashville, TN.
This initiative is a partnership between the NLGA and
Americans for the Arts (AFTA) to increase visibility, understanding and support for veterans, active military and their families and to highlight the role the arts can play in their health and wellness. I was proud to co-sponsor the resolution that created this important partnership. Over the next few months, my office will be working closely with AFTA, the NLGA and Rhode Island's Office of Veterans Affairs to bring this initiative to Rhode Island!
