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…

By Nancy Levin — The embattled Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) has had a tough time recruiting new members. The 10-member panel has been four seats shy of a full roster since December — not unusual in recent years. Controversy surrounding the appointed regulatory body did not dissuade Dr. Michael Reuter, a Barrington podiatric surgeon and avid sailor, from seeking an appointment to the council.

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. 

By Alex Kuffner — …Neronha’s office is working with lawmakers and environmental advocates to try to ensure that more questionable decisions aren’t made by the powerful state agency whose responsibilities range from offshore wind power permitting to climate change planning. 

By Alex Nunes — The U.S. General Services Administration now says the deal to transfer the lighthouse to the Watch Hill Lighthouse Keepers Association won’t be finalized until Westerly investigates concerns about public access to the land.

By Rhode Island Sea Grant — …Below is a breakdown of what this law means, as well as tips for advocates and the webinar sponsored by the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) and Rhode Island Sea Grant.

OPINION By Dennis Nixon and Thomas Gibson Jr — After decades of uncertainty, the General Assembly is on the cusp of reaffirming one of the oldest and most cherished Rhode Island constitutional rights: the “rights of fishery, and privileges of the shore,” which includes the right of access along the shore.

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.

By Frank Prosnitz — When the Rhode Island State Legislature convenes on Jan. 4, it’s certain that shoreline access will be among its top priorities.

By Michael Woods — Across North America the boundary between uplands and tidelands occupies a fascinating niche within the greater public access conversation.

By Cynthia Drummond — … An issue that has elicited some of the strongest public engagement in Rhode Island in recent years, access to the shoreline in coastal towns, including Westerly, has been the subject of in-depth coverage by ecoRI News.

By Antonia Noori Farzan — … A few years ago, that would have been unimaginable: Shoreline access was barely on the radar of politicians seeking state-level office. But that's changing, and candidates are realizing the issue has broad popular support among voters who otherwise don't see eye to eye.

By Antonia Noori Farzan — The House Judiciary Committee voted unanimously on Thursday to advance House Bill 8055, which would establish that the public has the right to be 6 feet above the "recognizable high tide line" on any sandy or rocky shoreline.

By Brian Amaral — If it became law, it would give people the rights to the shore so long as they’re below a line that’s 6 feet landward from the recognizable high tide line

By Alex Nunes — A bill intended to clarify shoreline rights along Rhode Island’s coast is moving forward in the House.

By Alex Kuffner — What the two scientists are showing through precise satellite measurements is something that has long been known: that use of the mean high tide line in state law doesn’t give the public very much access at all to the shoreline.

By Rob Smith — With summer approaching, the state’s activists are gearing up for battle over that most Rhode Island of issues: beach parking.

By Antonia Noori Farzan — Is the General Assembly willing to throw its weight behind an idea with broad popular support, knowing that it's all but guaranteed to lead to lawsuits?

By Rob Smith — Next step: Panel will send a final report to the General Assembly with its recommendations

By Alex Nunes — A bill is expected to be introduced in the Rhode Island House this month that clarifies where people can be along the shore without creating other restrictions.