Russell Chateauneuf,
chief of the ground and wetland program for the state Department of
Environmental Management (DEM), said a commission is likely the best approach
for developing uniform standards.
“That I believe is the
goal," he said. "Whether or not that is achievable 100 percent, will
be up to the task force to decide.”
The proposed 11-member task force would be overseen by the state Division of Planning. The members will be from the DEM, Office of Regulatory Reform, the Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC), one environmental group, a builders trade group, two municipalities, two businesses, a civil or environmental engineer and a wetlands biologist.
Statewide standards
would be acceptable if they allow communities to protect their natural resource
and help steer development toward urban centers to protect open space, said
Jane Austin of Save The Bay.
“If this task force
does its job, local communities should not need to establish more protective
standards,” she said.
Several Charlestown
leaders expressed concern about losing authority to regulate wells and septic
systems. Charlestown lacks a public water and sewage system. Pete Ogle,
chairman of the Charlestown Wastewater Management Commission, opposed the bill,
saying it threatens the health and future growth of the town. Proponents of the
bill, Ogle said, claim the town’s strict septic rules and wetland setbacks
regulations have hurt economic development.
“If so, where is the
long list of projects that have been killed?” he asked.
Ashley Hahn-Morris,
Charlestown’s planning director, helped draft the revised bill. She said the
bill shouldn't imply that a statewide standard is inevitable. “I would say it
should be in the hands of the task force members who are all professionals, who
are all representing their own vested interest in the issue to say yes or maybe
there is another mechanism,” she said. “You’re tying the hands of the task
force to be creative.”
Gary Ezovski of the
Small Business Association Economic Summit helped revise the bill on behalf of
builders, restaurateurs and manufactures. “This isn’t just about housing, it’s
about all development in our state.,” he said. His group would favor stricter building
standards as long as they apply across the state. “But the caveat to lifting it
is, make the regulation clear, predictable and reliable," Ezovski said.
Paul Roselli of the
Burrillville Land Trust said town-specific building codes already help the state’s
economy by preserving natural character and healthy ecosystems. “Actually, the
standards that are out there are clear and predictable,” he said. “You can go
to any one of the 39 towns and cities and look up a planning board regulation
and find clear and predictable regulations that have to do with planning and
zoning.”
Senate committee
chairwoman Susan Sosnowski, D-South Kingstown, said the bill is an effort help
developers and business owners who say their livelihood suffers due to
inconsistent standards for wetlands and septic regulations. “We want to protect
jobs in the state while still protecting the environment," she said.
The bill was held for
further study in order to include additional language.