Projo — 'It's a relic': How a slate of new laws would overhaul the controversial CRMC

March 21, 2023

By Alex Kuffner — PROVIDENCE — Critics say that little has changed at the contentious state agency that has authority over everything from offshore wind projects to oyster farms along Rhode Island’s 400 miles of coastline. 

They argue that even after a string of controversies capped last fall by the Supreme Court’s decision to reject a much-derided agreement for a marina expansion on Block Island, the Coastal Resources Management Council still too often rules arbitrarily.  

The latest incident, according to Topher Hamblett, of Save The Bay, occurred recently with a decision on an undersea cable that would deliver power from the 400-megawatt Revolution Wind proposal to the mainland electric grid. State law stipulates that for a large project like the transmission cable, approval is needed from the General Assembly for a submerged lands lease.  

“But against the recommendation of staff and legal counsel, the council voted to bypass the Assembly,” Hamblett said at a recent House hearing. 

It highlights why the coastal council needs to be restructured, he told the House Committee on State Government and Elections on Friday while testifying in support of a trio of bills that would do just that.  

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