Projo — Is RI's coastal agency broken? Why former members are speaking out for reform.

In 2023, the Quidnessett Country Club constructed a 600-foot seawall without seeking permission from the CRMC.. Provided by Seth Holme/Save the Bay

April 10, 2025

By Alex Kuffner — Key Points

• The Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) faces criticism for its structure and decision-making process.

• Critics argue that the council's appointed members lack the necessary expertise in coastal management, leading to controversial and overturned decisions.

• Legislation has been proposed to abolish the current council and establish a new Department of Coastal Resources led by professional staff.

• Former council members and advocacy groups support the restructuring, citing a need for transparency, accountability, and expertise in coastal management decisions.

PROVIDENCE – When Catherine Robinson Hall was appointed to a seat on the Coastal Resources Management Council in 2022, she represented something different for the powerful state agency that controls development along the Rhode Island shoreline. 

Unlike previous members of the agency’s voting council, which included a dental hygienist and the head of a chain of physical therapy offices, Robinson Hall, a professor of marine policy at Williams College and former lawyer with the state Department of Environmental Management, had 35 years of experience relevant to the position. 

But Robinson Hall, who gave up her seat a year ago citing her busy schedule, told lawmakers Tuesday that any expertise that members may have “is thoroughly thwarted by the structure of the council.” 

“Experience and background,” she said at a House hearing, “does not cure the fundamental broken pieces of the council.” 

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