BOSTON – Initiatives to streamline permitting at the Mass. Department of Environmental Protection have dramatically shortened the time to permit and removed unnecessary barriers to jobs and economic growth, according to a report released by Gov. Deval L. Patrick last week. more

Rhode Island waters are an informal jigsaw puzzle of oyster farms, territory for wild harvesting of shellfish, water-skiing areas, fishing spots and just plain beautiful water for boating or spectacular views. more

The nonprofit environmental news source ecoRI News, which was founded in Rhode Island in 2009, is launching a sister site – ecoMass.org – in order to cover environmental and social-justice news in Massachusetts. more

To the Editor: The R.I. Department of Environmental Management is again on record as opposing economic growth and its corollary, jobs. The DEM (an acronym for Delay Economic Momentum) recently objected to a legislative proposal to prevent the expiration of building permits issued to developers by local and state regulatory agencies. more

Gov. Lincoln D. Chafee celebrated the launch of a statewide network of electric vehicle charging stations on Roger Williams University campus Tuesday, unveiling one of the first of the charging stations to be installed in Rhode Island. more

PROVIDENCE – Jamestown and the Narragansett Bay Commission were among the winners at the annual Narragansett Water Pollution Control Association banquet held in May, the R.I. Department of Environmental Management announced. more

WARWICK – The U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service of Rhode Island is accepting applications for Conservation Innovation Grants to stimulate the development and adoption of innovative conservation approaches and technologies. Up to $70,000 will be awarded statewide. more

Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., center with orange jacket, joins Serve Rhode Island volunteers scooping trash from pond shores at Roger Williams Park on April 20. More than 200 volunteers braved wind and rain to join the effort, the sixth organized at the Providence park by the group since October 2008. Every year volunteers fill hundreds of trash bags with bottles, paper, plastic bags and other litter. more

PROVIDENCE – The state has awarded 28 projects a total of $1,524,725 in recreational trail grants from federal transportation funds. more

Whether or not Hurricane Sandy had a connection to climate change, the latter will make future Hurricane Sandys more common, imposing enormous costs on cities. more