David Gil Rocha

A Vision for Rhode Island's Future

Cutting edge infrastructure, energy independence, conserved natural lands, broadened freedoms, cultural enrichment, complete access to healthcare, and an education system that aims to give every child unrivaled opportunity.

This is the Rhode Island we can have.

Core Policy Proposals

A Waste Management Revolution:

Turning Waste into Wealth

Rhode Island stands at a critical environmental crossroads. With Woonsocket retiring its aging sewage sludge incineration plant, the current status-quo plan is to simply build another burner in Quonset. Unsurprisingly, local residents are rightfully pushing back against having human waste incinerated near their homes and neighborhoods. My administration rejects this outdated, polluting approach. Instead, we will pioneer a green technology revolution by transitioning Rhode Island to hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL)—an advanced, eco-friendly process that uses heat and pressure to mimic the earth’s natural geology, transforming wastewater sludge into valuable, sustainable resources rather than toxic air pollution.

This cutting-edge technology is a massive win for our public health, our environment, and our state budget. The HTL process completely destroys PFAS ("forever chemicals") and outputs clean water that is fully compliant with strict Narragansett Bay Commission standards. Even better, it converts a costly waste burden into highly lucrative assets:

  • Sustainable Biocrude: High-grade synthetic oil that can be sold to refineries and converted directly into carbon-neutral jet fuel.

  • Green Energy & Fertilizer: The process captures its own natural gas to completely self-power the facility, while producing a nutrient-dense sterile byproduct that can be processed into commercial-grade fertilizer.

Because this infrastructure pays for itself in under a decade and generates continuous revenue for its entire lifespan, we have an extraordinary opportunity to position Rhode Island as a dominant leader in the green economy. We will "double down" on this technology by building our initial facility at the Port of Providence next to our largest, most central wastewater treatment plant. With a massive capacity to serve two million people, we will process our own waste while importing regional material, utilizing our deep-water port to ship biocrude directly to refineries.

The long-term vision scales this success to a second, larger facility at Quonset Point, transforming Rhode Island into a premier East Coast green infrastructure hub capable of importing waste by ship from far beyond New England. By becoming an early adopter of this revolutionary technology, we will solve a pressing environmental crisis, protect our coastal communities, and secure a generous, independent revenue stream to fund Rhode Island’s future.

World Class Intermodal Transit Facility

Rhode Island deserves a modern, seamless transportation system that genuinely works for everyone. Following the expert recommendations of RIPTA and Next Wave, my administration will champion the creation of a premier intermodal transit facility by co-locating our central bus hub directly with the Providence train station.

By unifying rail, bus, and micro-mobility networks into one cohesive, vibrant hub, we will make public transit a faster, more reliable, and more attractive choice for everyday Rhode Islanders and visitors alike.

This proposal is more than just a transit upgrade, it is a transformative urban design project for our capital city, and a stunning gateway to our state for visitors. By shifting Gaspee Street to the west, we will finally restore the historic, symmetrical grandeur of the State House lawn, creating a majestic civic space we can all be proud of. This clever realignment unlocks highly valuable, developable land right along the tracks, paving the way for public-private partnerships to build new retail, dining, and essential amenities that support travelers and breathe fresh economic life into the district. Crucially, this state-of-the-art facility will be fully future-proofed to serve as the central node for a future streetcar network, ensuring Rhode Island’s infrastructure is built to lead the way in 21st-century mobility.

Modernizing Our Hospitality Industry:

Regulated Cannabis Consumption Cafes

When we legalized recreational cannabis, we took a major step forward in ending failed policies and embracing a common-sense approach to personal freedom. However, our framework remains incomplete. Right now, adults can legally purchase cannabis, but renters, tourists, and everyday citizens often have nowhere outside of a private home to legally enjoy it. If we trust responsible adults to gather and enjoy a cocktail at a local neighborhood bar, we should extend that same respect to cannabis consumers. Legalizing social consumption cafes is about fairness, personal liberty, and treating cannabis with the same regulatory maturity we accord to alcohol—allowing adults to exercise their rights within a safe, privately owned business.

Beyond personal freedom, cannabis consumption lounges represent a massive, untapped economic engine for our state. By establishing a safe, licensed, and strictly regulated environment for social use, we will pioneer a vibrant new sector in our hospitality industry, sparking entrepreneurship and creating local jobs. The additional tax revenue generated from these establishments will directly benefit Rhode Islanders—providing dedicated funding to improve our public schools. It is time to modernize our laws, support small business innovation, and capture the full economic potential of a safe and fully realized industry.

Honoring Our Promise:

Activating the Natural Areas Protection Act of 1993

For over thirty years, a powerful tool for environmental conservation has sat idle on the shelves of the State House. Passed with overwhelming intent, the Natural Areas Protection Act of 1993 was designed to provide the highest level of statutory protection to Rhode Island’s most ecologically sensitive lands by establishing a formal system of "Natural Area Preserves." Yet, through decades of successive administrations, not a single acre has ever been designated under this law. Our rarest ecosystems—including irreplaceable pockets of old-growth forests and critical habitats for endangered native species—have been left vulnerable to fragmentation, development, and commercial logging on public lands. My administration will end three decades of government inaction and finally fulfill the promise of this vital law.

We will immediately direct the Department of Environmental Management to revitalize its partnership with the Natural Heritage Preservation Commission to identify, nominate, and permanently protect our state’s crown jewels of biodiversity. By safeguarding state-owned lands and partnering with local municipalities, land trusts, and voluntary private landowners through conservation easements, we will ensure these critical environmental zones remain wild and undisturbed. Protecting our mature forests and pristine wetlands is a necessary shield against the climate crisis and a moral obligation to future generations. It is time to turn a forgotten piece of legislation into a living, breathing legacy for the Ocean State.

Powering Rhode Island:

The Parking Lot Solar Canopy Mandate

Rhode Island should be a national leader in renewable energy, but we cannot afford to clear-cut our beautiful forests and natural open spaces just to build solar arrays. Instead, my administration will introduce a proven, common-sense solution pioneered successfully on the global stage: a Solar Canopy Mandate for large parking lots. By utilizing the vast expanses of asphalt we already have, we can transform hot, barren parking lots into clean-energy power plants. This mandate will require large outdoor parking lots to cover at least 50% of their surface area with solar shelters, providing immediate shade and weather protection for vehicles while pumping clean, localized energy straight back into our grid.

We understand that a rigid, one-size-fits-all rule doesn't work for every business, which is why our plan mirrors the practical, market-friendly parameters used in France. Our legislation will include common-sense exemptions to protect local businesses and adapt to real-world physical constraints. Exceptions will be fairly granted for:

  • Technical and Financial Realities: Lots where steep slopes, poor soil quality, or exorbitant grid-connection costs would genuinely threaten the economic viability of the business.

  • Natural Shade: Parking lots that are already significantly shaded by mature trees, ensuring we protect our existing natural canopy.

  • Historic and Safety Safeguards: Sites with strict architectural heritage preservation needs or those handling heavy logistics and hazardous materials.

By focusing solar development on existing pavement, we protect our environment, shield drivers from the elements, and accelerate our transition to a self-reliant energy economy without sacrificing a single acre of Rhode Island’s precious natural woodlands.

Streamlining Government:

A Modern Capital Campus

Rhode Island taxpayers deserve a government that operates efficiently, responsibly, and transparently. Currently, state agencies are scattered across various leased and aging properties, creating unnecessary bureaucratic silos and wasting public funds on overhead. My administration will launch a comprehensive consolidation plan to bring as many state offices as reasonable onto the underutilized, state-owned land just north of the State House. By centralizing our workforce, we will improve inter-agency collaboration, make government services vastly more accessible to the public, as it will be just north of a new intermodal transit facility, and eliminate wasteful spending on outside leases.

A cornerstone of this vision is transforming the sprawling surface parking lot along Orms Street into a high-density, multi-use asset. We will replace this asphalt footprint with a state-of-the-art facility featuring a large, centralized parking garage topped with an architecturally suitable office tower designed to seamlessly complement the historic grandeur of Capitol Hill. Furthermore, we will prioritize a crucial civic and cultural landmark by building the Rhode Island State History Center on the lawn facing Smith Street, as proposed by the Secretary of State. This center will serve as a premier educational hub, preserving our rich heritage and welcoming visitors and students alike. Together, these projects will revitalize our capital campus, honor our past, and build a more efficient foundation for Rhode Island’s future.

Leveling the Playing Field:

Funding Every Student Equally

A child’s zip code should never determine the quality of their education. Right now, stark disparities in local property tax bases mean that school districts in wealthier communities can invest far more per student than those in under-resourced areas, creating an unfair gap in opportunity. My administration will close this gap by leveraging innovative, forward-thinking revenue streams. We will lock in dedicated tax proceeds from legalized cannabis consumption cafes alongside new revenue generated by state-of-the-art hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) facilities. By turning advanced waste-to-energy technology and new hospitality sectors into public investments, we can fund our future without raising traditional taxes.

These combined revenues will serve a dual purpose for Rhode Island education:

  • Protecting the Baseline: We will fully maintain all current state assistance to public schools, ensuring no district loses a dime of its existing funding.

  • Targeting the Gap: Every dollar of the new revenue will be strategically funneled directly into school districts with fewer funding resources.

Our ultimate goal is to equalize per-student spending statewide. By ensuring that every school has the resources needed for modern classrooms, updated technology, robust extracurriculars, and competitive teacher salaries, we will create a truly balanced landscape of opportunity. Every young Rhode Islander deserves a world-class education, and this plan provides the sustainable, equitable funding to deliver it.