{"id":196,"date":"2009-03-04T14:36:07","date_gmt":"2009-03-04T18:36:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/providenceworkingwaterfront.org\/index.php\/2009\/03\/04\/working-waterfront-protection-act-house-hearing\/"},"modified":"2018-12-18T14:33:25","modified_gmt":"2018-12-18T18:33:25","slug":"working-waterfront-protection-act-house-hearing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/providenceworkingwaterfront.org\/index.php\/2009\/03\/04\/working-waterfront-protection-act-house-hearing\/","title":{"rendered":"RI Working Waterfronts Protection Act draws support from coastal communities across the state"},"content":{"rendered":"

On Tuesday, March 3rd, the House Environment Committee heard testimony on H-5617<\/a>, the “Rhode Island Working Waterfronts Protection Act<\/a>.”\u00a0 The bill \u2014 modeled after Massachusetts\u2019 \u201cDesignated Port Area<\/a>\u201d regulations \u2014 would empower the Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC)<\/a> to preserve and protect Rhode Island\u2019s working waterfronts and water-dependent uses including commercial fishing, shipping, passenger transportation, boat building and repair, marinas, and other marine related businesses which must have access to the water to operate.<\/p>\n

Representatives from working waterfronts across Rhode Island attended the hearing to testify in favor of the bill.\u00a0 Rich Fuka of the Rhode Island Fishermen’s Alliance<\/a> testified about the need to protect fishing ports like Galilee in Narragansett, as well as the need to preserve boat repair yards like Promet Marine in the Port of Providence.<\/p>\n

Keith Stokes of the Newport County Chamber of Commerce<\/a> noted how over the span of 20 years Newport lost its fishing, boat building, and boat repair businesses to high priced condos, hotels, and marinas, and why legislation is needed to protect Rhode Island’s few remaining working waterfronts:<\/p>\n

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\u201cThere are just three working waterfronts left: Quonset [North Kingstown], Melville Marine [Portsmouth], and Allens Avenue [Providence]… We can\u2019t continue to leak these traditional jobs,\u201d said Keith W. Stokes, executive director of the Newport County Chamber of Commerce.<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\"keith
\nKeith Stokes testifying before the House Environment Committee <\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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Todd Turcotte of Capital Terminal Co., testified about the importance of oil terminals located on the East Providence side of the Port of Providence,\u00a0 and several members of the Providence Working Waterfront Alliance testified to the need to protect the port as a critical state and regional asset.\u00a0 As David Cohen, President of Promet Marine noted in his testimony<\/a>:<\/p>\n

We have a dynamic port in Providence with national trends, like short sea shipping, very much in our future. We have deep water as a result of dredging and a highly desirable geography for distributing fuel oil, gasoline, coal, cement and highway deicing salt and for exporting scrap iron. We have tried to draw attention to these assets and to strengthen the bonds of all working waterfront ports through out the state\u2014Providence, East Providence, Quonset\/Davisville, Newport, and Galilee. We are the Ocean State. That is our strength. Let\u2019s not throw it away.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The Providence Working Waterfront Alliance strongly supports the Rhode Island Working Waterfront Protection Act, and we look forward to working with our coastal community allies and the General Assembly to pass this important legislation.<\/p>\n

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Providence Working Waterfront Alliance Testimony In Support Of H-5617 \u2013 The Rhode Island Working Waterfronts Protection Act<\/strong><\/p>\n