CALL TO ACTION

Reform the RI Coastal Resources Management Council

9 June 2024

The RI Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) was created by the RI General
Assembly in 1972 to protect the coastal environment, ensure public access to and along the
shoreline, enforce coastal laws and manage development.

The CRMC is a respected, professional staff with expertise in coastal matters, but it has an
outdated structure that lacks accountability, invites abuse, and causes delays in permitting
coastal development. In addition, their findings are only recommendations to a Council -
and this Council is the cornerstone of that problematic structure. This Council is a 10
member board with vast decision making powers, but whose members are politically
appointed volunteers who are not required to have expertise in coast matters.

Controversy about the Council:

● Violates its own rules and the Superior Court has reversed CRMC decisions (e.g.
Champlin’s Marina backroom deal) for failure to follow basic administrative law,
including not submitting written decisions, failure to give the court complete
records, not meeting legal deadlines, and decisions not supported by fact findings or
the law.
● In many cases, it does not follow expert staff recommendations.
● Is not held accountable, particularly for bad decisions.
● It adds a layer of unnecessary bureaucracy that delays permitting decisions and
increases costs for applicants and the state. (e.g. bi-monthly meetings canceled due
to a lack of quorum; aquaculture permits have taken 4 to 5 years to process due to
Council politics.)
● The Council hires a private law firm that represents both the Council and Staff,
creating conflicts of interest. This law firm also has clients and lobbyists in the State
House.

The solution is to pass legislation that makes RI's coastal agency more transparent,
accountable, efficient, and effective:

S 2928 A (Introduced by Attorney General Neronha & Senator Gu)

H 8148 (Introduced by Attorney General Neronha & Rep. Cortvriend)

These two Legislative Acts,

 ● Create an Executive Department of Coastal Resources
● Establish a Community Advisory Committee
● The Executive Director reports to the Governor, not the Council, and is the person
ultimately accountable.
● Gives the agency a full-time in-house staff attorney to work for the Executive
Director/Staff.

According to RI Attorney General Peter Neronha, this legislation is necessary "to modernize
what has become an amateurish and sometimes slapstick approach to protecting our coastal
resources."

Who Supports and Who Opposes S 2928 A and H 7844? Supporters include: Save The Bay;
Ocean State Aquaculture Association; RI Saltwater Anglers Association; Backcountry
Hunters & Anglers – New England Chapter; Conservation Law Foundation; Environment
Council of RI; Protect Conanicut Coastline; Committee for the Great Salt Pond. Opposition
appears to be behind the scenes and from those who benefit from the current system.

CRMC reform has been discussed for decades, but nothing has changed. This year there is a
lot of momentum to push this reform forward, led by great work from Save the Bay, the
Attorney General, and our own, Senator Victoria Gu. Rhode Islanders/we need to act
quickly. The legislative session for this year ends 30 June 2024.

Rhode Island's coast is too important to be left unchecked.

Please send Governor McKee and your state representative a letter today in support of
legislation to reform the CRMC. It only takes a few minutes to visit our website @
westerlyarc.weebly.com and click on the URL (web address) to send your support. Or you
can copy the URL listed below and paste in the address bar of your web browser. There is a
pre-written letter to send or an option to write your own letter. Thank you.

https://www.votervoice.net/mobile/SaveTheBay/Campaigns/115672/Respond

ampearce6.9.2024