Providence, Rhode Island, is looking to make history as the first East Coast city to ban new gas stations — a move Republicans have lambasted as likely to raise costs for drivers.
The city is now poised to restrict the construction of new gas stations after proposing an amendment to its guiding comprehensive plan for urban planning on Wednesday.
Councilman John Goncalves is backing the amendment, which is in line with the Biden administration’s climate goals of increasing the adoption of electric vehicles and prioritizing green infrastructure, such as electric charging stations.
The amendment would ban all new gas stations within city limits but would not affect existing sites. Existing business owners would still be permitted to transfer ownership of any gas station to new owners, according to the Boston Globe.
In its original draft of the comprehensive plan, the city council sought to “discourage” new gas stations. However, the amendment would alter that language to “prohibit.”
There are approximately 40 licensed and operational gas stations within Providence, according to the Boston Globe. However, city council officials declined to provide the outlet with a specific number. The most recently built station, the Neon Marketplace, was constructed in 2022 on Kinsley Avenue.
Supporters of the amendment have said the ban would offer key support for the city’s lofty 2050 carbon neutrality goals.
“We face an unprecedented climate crisis,” Goncalves, who serves as the senior deputy majority leader of the city council, told WPRI. “This is an issue where we can – and must – take bold action. Providence can lead the way in reducing carbon emissions and promoting cleaner, greener energy alternatives.
“While advancing sustainable energy alternatives, existing stations will continue to serve the community, remaining a valuable resource, as we also move toward gradually shifting to the energy of the future.”
Providence has climate targets set to reach carbon neutrality across the city by 2050, with municipal buildings and vehicles facing a deadline 10 years earlier.
“It’s important that we’re leading the way in reducing some of our carbon emissions and promoting a cleaner, greener energy future,” Goncalves told the Boston Globe, adding that available land that would otherwise be used for gas stations can then be put toward increased housing. “I think Providence can take the lead here.”
He said existing gas stations would continue to serve as resources for the community. The council, though, has yet to conduct a study to determine whether there are enough pumps in the city to support demand.
Providence is not the only city in the nation to consider a gas station ban, as Petaluma, California, became the first in 2021, according to the Los Angeles Times. Several other cities in the state have since followed suit — despite growing criticism from some local leaders.
In 2022, Todd Lands, then the mayor of Cloverdale, California, which was also considering a similar ban, spoke out against the move, citing the financial strain on residents at the pump.
“We’re in a low- to middle-income community, and if you’re pretty much banning gas stations or suppressing the market, it’s only going to drive the demand up and the price up,” Lands, a Republican, told Fox Business at the time.
“In my opinion, it’s been an absolute virtue signaling and it’s being pushed on our entire state,” he continued.
Ultimately, Cloverdale leaders voted to table the matter.
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Providence’s comprehensive plan is updated once every 10 years, according to the Boston Globe. Final considerations and discussions regarding the document will continue in the coming weeks, with a final public hearing being held on Wednesday.
If the plan is approved, the gas station ban is expected to be enacted through a zoning ordinance.