WASHINTON, DC - Congressmen Jim Langevin and Patrick J. Kennedy today voted for the bipartisan H.R. 3183 – FY 2010 Energy & Water Appropriations Act. As part of the $33.8 billion bill, the Congressmen helped secure $750,000 for the University of Rhode Island’s Regional Earth Systems Institute.
“This URI project is the kind of investment we want to encourage and build in our state,” said Langevin, a Vice-Chair of the Sustainable Energy and Environmental Coalition. “I was proud to support it and look forward to following this project as it moves forward and begins to yield results.”

“The Regional Earth Systems Institute at URI is exactly the type of investment we should be supporting to help prepare students for jobs in a new energy economy. I am pleased to support this critical educational and environmental project,” said Kennedy

The URI Regional Earth Systems Institute (RESI) will develop a comprehensive, quantitative, risk assessment model analyzing interactions among humans and the regional climate system. RESI will study the causes of local, state, and regional climate change and potential social and environmental consequences, with a focus on resource management. 

It will also offer unique competitive undergraduate educational programs for attracting and training students entering the green workforce. RESI will invest in a public outreach program and leverage the URI programs already in place, while serving as a model for other regions to adapt to climate change.

Nationwide, the Energy and Water Appropriations Act will provide for long term solutions to energy and water needs and create jobs with investments in new technologies, scientific research and conservation efforts. The bill’s new investments include the next generation of fuel-efficient vehicles as well as smart grid technology that will ensure electricity is delivered more cheaply and efficiently. Funding for weatherization grants to help struggling families save money and energy by improving the energy efficiency of their homes was also increased.

The final conference report on this bill must still be negotiated and approved by the House and Senate.

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