by: Emily Brennan, WPRI12
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Some state legislators want to restructure the council that oversees Rhode Island’s coastline, but there’s a debate over how it should be reformed.
The Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) was created in the early 1970s. According to its website, the council is responsible for the “preservation, protection, development and where possible the restoration of the coastal areas of the state” through policy development, planning and permitting. It also manages public access to those areas.
The state agency is made up of 10 volunteer members appointed by the governor, who currently include a lawyer, a podiatric surgeon and a mandatory representative from the R.I. Department of Environmental Management (DEM).
A bill proposed by state Rep. John G. Edwards, D-Tiverton, would replace CRMC with the Division of Coastal Resources Management, which would operate under DEM.
“Many of the issues that have plagued CRMC for years — chronic delays in making simple permitting decisions, lack of members and frequent missed/cancelled meetings, and the increasing number of flawed decisions being overturned by the courts — are caused by CRMC’s politically-appointed board,” Edwards said in a press release.
The council hasn’t had a full 10 members since 2019. Currently, it only has six seats filled, which is the minimum needed for a quorum, state Sen. Victoria Gu, D-Westerly, noted during a senate hearing last week.
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In the meantime, members of the Senate Committee on Environment & Agriculture are proposing a different way to reform the CRMC.
State Sen. Mark McKenney, D-Warwick, introduced Bill 775, which would change the council’s structure and operation. Under his proposal, the CRMC would remain its own entity, with a setup similar to DEM. However, the nine politically appointed members would be removed and decision-making power would be shifted to a cabinet-level director who answers to the governor.
Advocates, including the R.I. Attorney General’s Office, nonprofit Save the Bay, and former CRMC members were present at last week’s hearing to voice their support.
Gu said she believes that allocating more budgetary resources to the CRMC is critical in the face of ongoing environmental issues.
“Future permitting and planning decisions by the CRMC or the Department of Coastal Resources will absolutely need to take into account the best science we have on sea level rise and beach erosion,” Gu explained. “A professionalized agency will have the expertise to make these difficult decisions and help preserve our shoreline amidst rising seas and stronger storms.”
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Edwards agrees that CRMC needs more structure, but told 12 News that having the agency work within DEM would save money and prevent overlap. CRMC is a quasi-state entity, meaning it can perform government functions, but is not directly part of state government….