Statement on Recent Changes to Rhode Island’s Coastal Resource Management Council (CRMC)
Governor Dan McKee (RI) recently announced the May 26th State Senate confirmation of fiveof six nominees for the newly restructured Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC), which followed the 2025 reform law establishing new requirements for coastal and environmental expertise within the Council. The selection of lawyers, former legislators, and business professionals has led critics to question if the appointees truly possess the scientific and technical proficiency intended by the reform law.
In the context of Green Oceans’ ongoing concerns with offshore wind development, the organization’s President, Michael Lombardi stated, “Everyone involved from Rhode Island through to Washington DC should take pause with the fact that there was such controversy within the CRMC and its Fisheries Advisory Board at the very nexus of offshore wind permitting decisions that have materially altered multiple hundreds of thousands of acres of continental shelf…we’re not talking docks and seawalls”.
Local NGO Save The Bay has been a critical opponent of the Council’s shape and structure for years, stating repeatedly that the Council fails to address systemic governance issues, including persistent delays, quorum failures, and controversial legal disputes.
Green Oceans stands with Save the Bay’s criticism of the CRMC, and urges Rhode Islanders to take an acute interest in CRMC reform given the critical function of the Council which is often understated. The CRMC is generally associated with inshore permitting issues such as waterfront construction of docks, piers, and siting of infrastructure that may impact Narragansett Bay. There has been significant criticism in the agency’s competency at permitting these types of projects. In fact, State Attorney General Peter Neronha has repeatedly criticized the CRMC over what he describes as “systemic failures in transparency, legal compliance, and environmental oversight.”
Critically, the CRMC functions within the framework of the federal Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA), a collaborative mandate between states and the federal government designed to safeguard and coordinate the development of coastal resources. National administration of the CZMA is overseen by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Rhode Island maintains federal funding and management authority only through continued compliance with national standards. Accountability is further reinforced by "federal consistency" reviews, which grant the CRMC significant authority over federally permitted projects. This includes offshore wind. Because these activities impact marine ecosystems, national energy policy, and climate resilience, federal oversight remains essential to ensure that state-level decisions reflect broader national objectives and are grounded in technical proficiency and science rather than political pressure. While offshore wind projects are beyond the 3-mile demarcation of state versus federal waters, the federal government relied on state’s determinations under the CZMA to use the federal consistency standard for project approvals given regional and local concern for offshore use conflicts and impacts. Green Oceans President Michael Lombardi further commented, “This federal level accountability carries tremendous responsibility given that CRMC’s decisions have the potential to impact the health and safety of millions of Americans, including beyond Rhode Island. It should deeply resonate with federal law and policymakers, and regulators, that the CRMC’s Section 307 federal consistency review and determination [which was arguably inconsistent] for offshore wind projects triggered the resignation of the state’s entire Fisheries Advisory Board because they believed the permitting process failed to adequately protect commercial fishing interests, including impacts to fishing grounds, navigation, and long-term industry viability.
The CRMC is holding a hearing on June 9th to consider assent of the South Coast wind farm’s proposal to run high voltage cables through the Sakonnet River, beneath Portsmouth, and then extending through Mt. Hope Bay for landfall at Brayton Point. Concerned citizens are encouraged to attend.
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About Green Oceans
Green Oceans is a 501(c)3 nonprofit community organization dedicated to the preservation and protection of the ocean and the life it supports. Since 2023, Green Oceans and its coalition including four Native American tribes, and environmental, energy, national security and fishing groups, have worked to challenge large-scale offshore wind development based on its documented impacts on marine ecosystems, energy costs, livelihoods, and national security.
For more information visit green-oceans.org . Media inquiries, please contact media@green-oceans.com.