Gov. Lincoln Almond and Curt Spalding, the executive director of Save The Bay, aren’t ever going to agree on the merits of developing a container port at Quonset Point/Davisville.
But having agreed to disagree on the matter of a port, Save The Bay, one of the most powerful environmental groups in the state, and the Almond Administration, should continue to have a productive dialogue regarding other matters related to Narragansett Bay.
In his first seven years in office, Almond has been a supporter of the environment and, as Spalding readily acknowledges, decision-makers in his administration have always been approachable concerning environmental issues. But now Spalding is suggesting that the proposal to build a container port at the former Navy base is superseding other discussions.
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"It’s been unfortunate that the port became so important, that we could not talk about these things more publicly at a leadership level…because we were talking all the time about these things," said Spalding.
With just 11 months left in his term, Almond is clearly focused on moving the port project as far along as possible.
The port project has merit, though many unanswered questions. It seems certain such a development would add desperately needed jobs, but at what cost environmentally?
The bulk of the questions regarding this proposal will not be answered prior to November of this year, when Rhode Islanders will elect a new governor. It seems inevitable, therefore, that the fate of the container port will in large part fall to the leadership of the next governor.
That being said, we hope that other environmental issues related to Narragansett Bay – including such things as storm water run-off, shoreline development and aquaculture initiatives – are discussed with a renewed enthusiasm.
The proposal to build a container port at Quonset Point/Davisville needs to be discussed in great detail. But it is not the only issue facing Narragansett Bay, our most cherished natural resource.
