The R.I. Coastal Resources Management Council on Jan. 28 voted 6-0, without discussion, to deny Quidnessett Country Club’s request to reclassify the water off its shoreline to keep a seawall built without permission.
The vote potentially ended a long-running saga, at least temporarily satisfying coastal access advocates and others who have long fought the proposal, including Attorney General Peter F. Neronha. But that doesn’t mean they are ready to stop criticizing the agency, which they say is too often politically motivated and lacking expertise in environmental oversight.
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Neronha had again submitted legislation to the General Assembly seeking to strip the agency of voting authority and turn it into an administrative department.
“If we are serious about protecting our most treasured natural resources, we must confront this problem head on, and a new Department of Coastal Resources is the only fix,” he said.
