Press & News
Projo — Is RI's coastal agency broken? Why former members are speaking out for reform.
By Alex Kuffner — 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…
ecoRI News — CRMC Council Loses Member to Resignation, Reducing Coastal Decision-Making Body to 6
By Rob Smith — The state’s coastal regulating agency is already starting the new year on the wrong foot. The Coastal Resources Management Council quietly announced last month that longtime council member and Little Compton resident Donald Gomez was resigning. Gomez, who prior to his professional retirement worked as an electric engineer for the Navy in Newport, had been serving in some capacity on CRMC’s executive panel since 2007.
Projo — RI couple's lawsuit challenges whether CRMC has say over homeowners' seawalls. Why it matters.
By Antonia Noori Farzan — A blanket ban on new seawalls and rock revetments along certain parts of the coastline means that homeowners have limited ability to defend their properties against erosion. A class action lawsuit seeks to overturn that policy, which would have major implications for Rhode Island's coastline.
Rhode Island Current — Forced to submit a plan to remove illegal seawall, Quidnessett still backs water reclassification
By Nancy Lavin — Country club restoration plans appear ‘incomplete,’ says Save the Bay
Rhode Island Current — North Kingstown country club on rocky terrain in quest to keep illegal wall
By Nancy Lavin — CRMC hearing on proposal to ease water protections pits club members against environmentalists
The Public’s Radio — Newport’s only public beach is eroding. Should the city save it?
By Olivia Ebertz — As structures like the carousel and snack bar building are being demolished at Easton’s Beach, city officials are grappling with how to save an eroding beach.
ecoRI News — Marine Policy Professor Resigns from Rhode Island Coastal Agency
By Rob Smith — Nearly two years after first being appointed to the executive body of the Coastal Resources Management Council, a prominent council member tendered her resignation earlier this month.
Projo — Advocates push for reform of Rhode Island coastal council, but legislative leaders have questions
By Alex Kuffner — Attorney General Peter Neronha and others are calling on General Assembly leaders to move forward with legislation that would reform the embattled state agency that regulates coastal development in Rhode Island.
Projo — A country club built a new seawall without permission. Now they want to change the rules.
By Antonio Noori Farzan — The Quidnessett Country Club already went ahead and built a massive seawall near the 14th hole without getting permission from the Coastal Resources Management Council. Now, the CRMC has to decide if it's willing to rethink its regulations.
Rhode Island Current — CRMC member from Narragansett appears to have lost her eligibility to serve
By Nancy Lavin — The state’s beleaguered coastal regulatory agency is facing new scrutiny amid allegations one of its members no longer meets the requirements of the position she was appointed to fill.
Rhode Island Current — An existential crisis for troubled coastal management agency?
By Nancy Lavin — The state’s coastal regulatory agency is ripe for reform. But how much? This is the key question lawmakers, residents and coastal advocates are considering when it comes to the politically appointed Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council.
The Public’s Radio — RI Attorney General backs legislation to reform CRMC
By Alex Nunes — Expressing support for two bills under consideration by the General Assembly, Attorney General Peter Neronha told state lawmakers that the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council is “in desperate need of reform.”
Save the Bay — A 2023 Legislative Session Update
By Topher Hamblett — The Rhode Island General Assembly is in full swing, and considering important legislation that will impact Narragansett Bay. Save The Bay has been hard at work meeting with legislators, testifying at Committee hearings, joining and building coalitions to support good policies, and monitoring for bills that might do harm to the environment and the Bay.
Projo — 'It's a relic': How a slate of new laws would overhaul the controversial CRMC
By Alex Kuffner — 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.
ecoRI News — Save The Bay Focused On Nips, Trees and Access This Year
By Frank Carini — Now that the Rhode Island General Assembly has found its 2023 legislative groove, Save The Bay has begun advocating for what it says is an “ambitious policy agenda.”
ecoRI News — Long-Serving Member Resigns from R.I.’s Coastal Agency
By Frank Carini — For years the board that oversees the Ocean State’s coastal regulations has been operating with vacancies, and last month it lost a long-serving member.
Projo — Opinion/Stone: R.I. Supreme Court decision shows why CRMC needs reform
By Jonathan Stone OPINION — The R.I. Supreme Court’s rejection of the “settlement” between Champlin’s Marina and the Coastal Resources Management Council should serve as a wake-up call to all Rhode Islanders. The decision makes it clear that the agency’s structure is fundamentally flawed and in need of immediate correction by the governor and General Assembly. Rhode Island’s coastal environment and Rhode Islanders themselves deserve nothing less.
Projo — Champlin's Marina expansion on Block Island struck down by state Supreme Court. Here's why.
By Jim Hummel — The Rhode Island Supreme Court has rejected — for a final time — a proposed marina expansion on Block Island, bringing an end to nearly two decades of hearings and litigation over the controversial project.
Boston Globe — Matunuck seawall project, years in the making, nears completion
By Brian Amaral — When it’s done, the wall’s steel, concrete and stone will protect Matunuck Beach Road and the waterline it carries, shoring up access to the 250-property neighborhood there. But for how long?
Projo — Shoreline commission gets closer to proposing legislation that would clarify public rights
By Antonia Noori Farzan — If you have access to an old ox cart, now would be the time to get out a tape measure and figure out exactly how wide it is. The answer to that seemingly esoteric question could determine where you're allowed to walk on the beach this summer.