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New R.I. climate group aims for ‘practical’ energy reform

Ocean State Climate Alliance founders Michael Kadish and Rachel Roseneck are seeking to organize the R.I. business community around climate policy

By Dan McGowan Globe Columnist, Updated April 13, 2026, 9:49 a.m.
The first major push from the Ocean State Climate Alliance is legislation in to streamline residential solar permitting in Rhode Island – a bill supporters say could reduce delays and lower costs for homeowners. A Solar Power of Oklahoma technician, pictured, finishes installing a solar panel ground mount at a Yukon, Okla., home in June 2023.
The first major push from the Ocean State Climate Alliance is legislation in to streamline residential solar permitting in Rhode Island – a bill supporters say could reduce delays and lower costs for homeowners. A Solar Power of Oklahoma technician, pictured, finishes installing a solar panel ground mount at a Yukon, Okla., home in June 2023. MASON TRINCA/NYT

There’s a new climate player on the block, and it’s launching with an unusual mix of business, labor, and civic backing as it seeks to push “practical” energy legislation at the State House.

The Ocean State Climate Alliance was officially created in January, and founders Michael Kadish and Rachel Roseneck have been quietly meeting with key players across sectors as they seek to organize the business community around climate policy and implementation.

Kadish was a policy director on President Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign, and has been working with renewable energy clients for nearly two decades. Roseneck previously served as an executive at a major national public affairs and strategic communications firm in New York. They bring experience from two of the country’s most consequential state houses: California and New York.

Now they are positioning the Ocean State Climate Alliance as a bridge between lawmakers and the companies, workers, and local institutions actually building clean-energy projects. Their first major push is legislation to streamline residential solar permitting – a bill supporters say could reduce delays and lower costs for homeowners.

The bigger picture: There are already enough climate groups, special advocacy days, and State House coalitions floating around that it can be hard to tell which ones are built to last. And a promise to be “practical” can often be interrupted as a promise to be a pushover.

But what makes this launch notable is it already has significant validators.

Erin Donovan-Boyle from the Greater Newport Chamber of Commerce, and AFL-CIO President Pat Crowley signaled their support in a press release announcing the Ocean State Climate Alliance.

It’s not yet clear how well-funded the organization is, but Kadish and Roseneck say this won’t be a group built only for this year’s election cycle. That being said, they were clear that they do plan to support General Assembly candidates – and maybe more – this year.

This story first appeared in Rhode Map, our free newsletter about Rhode Island that also contains information about local events, links to interesting stories, and more. If you’d like to receive it via email Monday through Friday, you can sign up here.

Dan McGowan can be reached at dan.mcgowan@globe.com. Follow him @danmcgowan.

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