Assesses a fee of one cent ($0.01) per every ten thousand (10,000) gallons of wastewater treatment facility effluent discharge.

Plain-English Summary

This bill would create a new fee on wastewater treatment facilities in Rhode Island based on how much treated water they release into the environment. Specifically, facilities would be charged one cent ($0.01) for every 10,000 gallons of treated wastewater — called "effluent" — that they discharge. To put that in perspective, a facility releasing one million gallons of treated wastewater would owe $1.00 under this fee structure.

The bill falls under Rhode Island's fish and wildlife licensing laws, which suggests the money collected from this fee would likely go toward supporting fish, wildlife, or environmental programs — though the bill as described does not specify exactly where the funds would be directed. Wastewater treatment facilities, which are typically operated by cities, towns, or regional authorities, would be responsible for paying this fee. Those costs could potentially be passed along to residents and businesses that pay water and sewer bills.

In practical terms, the fee rate is quite small, so the financial impact on any individual facility would depend heavily on how much wastewater it processes. Larger facilities handling millions or billions of gallons annually would pay more than smaller ones. The bill is currently in its early stages — it has been referred to the House Environment and Natural Resources Committee and is scheduled for a hearing, but has also been recommended to be held for further study, meaning it has not yet advanced toward a vote.