By TIM FAULKNER/ecoRI.org
News staff
At a May 7 House
hearing, Janet Coit, director of the state Department or Environmental
Management (DEM), called a plan to move environmental permitting under a new
Office of Commerce an “environmental rollback.” “It sets up an inherent
conflict of interest,” she said.
Coit was referring to
one (H6063) of six economic bills that puts the
DEM under the control of a new Office of Commerce. The concept was launched by
the pro-business Rhode
Island Public Expenditure Council (RIPEC) last fall in an
effort to spur economic growth.
The environmental community and Chafee fear that shifting of oversight of regulatory duties will create a layer of bureaucracy while risking harm to the environment. “If these bills were to pass, it may result in several unintended consequences that will make Rhode Island stand out for the wrong reasons,” Chafee wrote in a letter to the House Finance Committee.
Rep. Helio Melo,
D-East Providence, sponsor of one of the bills, said he wants to remove
barriers for growth by creating “one-stop shopping” for businesses looking to
move or expand in Rhode Island. “The system we have doesn’t work," he
said. "We can’t get a business in here to save our lives."
RIPEC director John
Simmons said the bills have four goals: an elevated presence of commerce within
state government; creation of a consensus economic plan; a rebranding of the
Economic Development Corporation; and enhanced economic research and development.
"(We're) try to change the economic climate in Rhode Island," he
said.
Opponents urged a
greater focus on environmental issues, such as agriculture, sustainable
communities and protecting the coastline, as a better approach to fixing the
economy. “Where are we going to find jobs?” asked environmental advocate Greg
Gerritt. “One of the things that doesn’t seem to be on your agenda is
agriculture. We need to focus on getting our food supply and food security back
in alignment.”
Abel Collins of the Rhode
Island Sierra Club also noted the lack of focus on local farming and seafood in
the business proposal, which he said would lead to more failures like 38
Studios. “This business-friendly attitude that we’ve seen for years and years
has not served the state well up to this point,” he said, “and I don’t think
doubling down at this point is going to serve us any better.”
The Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) submitted a letter noting that shifting permitting from
the DEM to another state entity creates a conflict of interest and the
potential reevaluation of many projects. “In particular, we primarily are
concerned about the effect this bill may have on the state’s current
EPA-approved or delegated state programs under federal environmental statutes,"
according to the letter.
Tricia Jedele of the
Conservation Law Foundation said the changes threaten federal funding for
coastal projects and the Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC), as well
the joint offshore wind project with Massachusetts.
The idea also is
opposed by Save The Bay, the Environment Council of Rhode Island and the state
Department of Administration. Supporters include the Rhode Island Tea Party and
the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce.
The package of bills
will be heard at the Statehouse through May 14. If passed, restructuring would
begin in March 2014 and phase in through 2015.
