Environment Council of Rhode Island

The Problem & Challenge

Rhode Island’s quality of life — including public health and the economy — depends directly on the state’s ability to manage its natural resources. Research by RI Economic Policy Council, RI Public Expenditure Council, and Senate Policy Office notes that Rhode Island’s “quality of place” is perhaps our greatest competitive economic strength. These groups have also recommended that economic growth strategies should be developed to capitalize on those strengths.

If “quality of place” is Rhode Island’s strength, then it is vitally important that the State make prudent investments in our environmental resources. Failing to do so would place our competitive advantage at serious risk. Investing in environmental management means ensuring that the state’s primary environmental agency — The Department of Environmental Management — has the capacity to perform at the highest level.

Yet, years of significant budget cuts have stretched DEM’s capacity to the limit, and compromised it’s ability to provide the critical services expected by citizens, municipalities, and businesses. Specifically, the weakening of DEM core functions has occurred in the enforcement, compliance and inspection, brownfields, and water quality programs. It would not be an exaggeration to say that more cuts to these core programs would cripple DEM’s capacity to provide essential services to the public. Even though Director Reitsma is doing all that can be done to maintain basic services, budget cuts along with the limitations on the director’s flexibility caused the state’s personnel system, continue to erode DEM’s capacity to perform at the highest level for the citizens of Rhode Island.

DEM is charged with administering programs that directly impact our bays, rivers, lakes, ponds, beaches, parks, and air quality, as well as our neighborhoods and communities. DEM’s primary functions include administering state and federal laws, regulations, and programs in: water quality, air quality, natural resource management, drinking water protection, law enforcement and criminal investigation, agriculture, coastal resources, waste management, septic systems, wetlands, parks and recreational facilities, boater registration, and brownfields redevelopment.

These many complex functions cut across many sectors of our economy — manufacturing, tourism, agriculture, marine cluster industries, to name just a few. These functions are also intertwined with “smart growth” strategies — such as brownfields development — being advanced by the Governor Carcieri, the Governor’s Growth Planning Council, and the House and Senate. These important initiatives will be stifled — and Rhode Island’s “quality of place” advantage squandered — if DEM does not have the capacity to administer laws, regulations, and programs in a timely, professional manner.

Finally, if Rhode Island aspires to be a place where families can raise their children in an environment with clean air, clean water, and access to a wide variety of opportunities, then it must invest in effective environmental protection, restoration, and management.

The Solution

The Environment Council of RI calls on the General Assembly and the Governor to exercise strong leadership. This begins with:

• Preventing further cuts to DEM’s core programs in the FY ’04 budget.
• Conducting a thorough, professional analysis of DEM’s functions and budget, and allocating the resources that DEM needs to be a high-performing agency.
• Working with DEM to develop a multi-year plan with funding strategies for core programs, especially the water program.
• Identifying and maximizing federal grant opportunities.
• Identifying and eliminating areas of overlap among DEM and other agencies.

In broader terms, the Administration and the General Assembly would do well to heed the advice of the RI Public Expenditure Council:

“State government should be organized to think and act as a system, and agencies and programs should be organized around the functions and purposes they serve.”

Strategies

• Conduct oversight hearings aimed at helping DEM identify and implement strategies for accomplishing its mission.
• Review other states’ funding of environmental programs.
• Enlist economic development leaders inside & outside government to help better define DEM’s function as a part of an overall strategy to protect and improve our “quality of place.”

Resources

• DEM Leadership
• House & Senate Policy Staff
• Governor’s Policy Staff
• Environment Council of RI and it’s member groups.
• RI Economic Policy Council
• RI Public Expenditure Council