Shorthanded on enforcement?

State environmental agencies have less staff to adequately protect Rhode Island waters than in the past, and that could negatively impact the local economy, say advocates.

On Jan. 14, Save The Bay Executive Director Jonathan Stone and Rhode Island Builders Association Vice President David A. Caldwell Jr. called on the public and Gov. Gina M. Raimondo to consider hiring more staff at the R.I. Department of Environmental Management and the R.I. Coastal Resources Management Council. As of last week, 1,202 people had signed a petition supporting that call.

“Pollution is unchecked and not being addressed, so there’s real harm being done to the environment and public health,” Stone said. “And it’s bad for business.”

Stone pointed to unresolved violations by Rhode Island Recycled Metals of Providence in removing scrapped ships from the river’s bottom. A recycling competitor, Sims Metal, has complied with permit regulations while Rhode Island Recycled Metals has not, he said, giving the latter an unfair competitive advantage.

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Rhode Island Recycled Metals owner Ralph Sevinor could not be immediately reached for comment.

DEM Director Janet Coit says her agency is pursuing legal action against the company.

Her department has lost staffing over the last decade, though Coit says she’s focused on doing what she can with the staff she has.

The agency has seven staff attorneys, down from nine in 2005; and as of 2014, had 23 staff in compliance and inspection, down from 39, and 67 in the water division, down from 86 in 2005.

“Our inspection numbers overall are rather constant, and we are seeing more entities in compliance [meaning fewer enforcement cases to handle],” she said in an email.

Stone, however, says that as of 2013, the most recent year available, there was a DEM backlog of 150 enforcement cases in the Office of Compliance and Inspection.

“We’re concerned about enforcement getting in the way of efficiency [so] that DEM has the capacity to fulfill its mission quickly and effectively,” Caldwell said.

At the CRMC, staffing is down slightly, with 29 in 2010, and 28 today, said Laura Dwyer, the agency’s public education and information coordinator, in an email. But CRMC Executive Director Grover Fugate confirmed that his agency has a backlog of approximately 100 cases and no staff for compliance checks.

“With the new wetlands bill increasing our jurisdiction, we’re concerned about our ability to monitor and enforce that,” he said.

What does Raimondo think? Spokeswoman Ashley Gingerella O’Shea said the state supports environmental protection, but added fiscal 2017 budget details are not yet available. •

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