The Rhode Island Climate Superfund Act of 2025 establishes a cost recovery program aimed at addressing the impacts of climate change by holding fossil fuel corporations accountable for their greenhouse gas emissions. The Act specifically targets entities that have extracted or refined fossil fuels and are responsible for over one billion tons of covered greenhouse gas emissions. The program will be administered by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM).

Key provisions of the Act include:

1. **Short Title and Definitions**: The Act is officially known as the Rhode Island Climate Superfund Act of 2025 and includes specific definitions for terms such as "climate change," "responsible party," and "covered greenhouse gas emissions."

2. **Cost Recovery Program**: By January 1, 2026, the DEM is required to report on climate change response work conducted by the state since January 1, 2009, and to collect information from municipalities regarding their climate change response efforts. The DEM will determine the proportional amounts owed by responsible parties for these efforts and issue demands for payment.

3. **Climate Superfund Account**: A climate superfund account will be established in the state treasury to collect payments from responsible parties, which will be used exclusively for qualified expenditures related to climate change response work.

4. **Liability of Responsible Parties**: Responsible parties will be strictly liable for their share of the costs associated with climate change response work. The Act outlines provisions for joint and several liability among entities treated as a single entity.

5. **Implementation and Enforcement**: The DEM is authorized to promulgate necessary rules and regulations for the implementation of the Act and to collect penalties for late payments. The Act does not preempt existing state or local laws related to greenhouse gas emissions.

6. **Severability**: If any part of the Act is found to be invalid, the remainder will still be in effect.

The Act is designed to ensure that those who have contributed significantly to greenhouse gas emissions contribute to the costs of mitigating climate change impacts in Rhode Island. It will take effect upon passage.