Climate Change
Rep. Cortvriend is Preparing Rhode Island for a Changing Climate
Rising seas. Intensifying storms. Eroding beaches. The effects of climate change are not a distant threat for Rhode Island, they are reshaping our coastline, our communities, and our economy. Representative Terri Cortvriend has made confronting this reality a central mission of her time in the General Assembly.
Representative Cortvriend created and chairs the Legislative Study Commission on Climate Change Impacts and Solutions, which she launched after a series of powerful storms caused widespread coastal flooding across the state. The commission studies the impacts of climate change, including rising sea levels and their effects on coastal communities, and examines potential adaptations such as beach nourishment, green infrastructure, and managed retreat.
She has made the case that managed retreat (thoughtfully relocating people and structures away from the most vulnerable coastal areas) can be an opportunity to build safer, more resilient communities, not just a concession to rising waters. She also co-founded the Aquidneck Island Climate Caucus to elevate local voices on climate adaptation and bring this conversation to communities across the island.
In 2025, she co-sponsored the Resilient Rhody Infrastructure Fund, a dedicated revolving fund to provide municipalities across Rhode Island with financing for climate resiliency projects, including stormwater mitigation, coastal erosion control, floodproofing, and urban greening. She was also a co-sponsor of Rhode Island's landmark Act on Climate.
Representative Cortvriend believes preparing for climate change is not a partisan issue, but a matter of protecting Rhode Island's people, economy, and way of life.