Environment
Environmental issues and climate change
Advocates renew push for bottle bill at State House rally
In response to litter problems, many New England states, including neighboring Massachusetts and Connecticut, have introduced "bottle bills" or deposit return, which offers consumers an incentive to return plastic bottles back to the companies that sell them. Bottle bills are considered to be one of the best systems for recycling our plastic, glass, and aluminum containers.
Pawtucket Mayor defends tax agreement, illegal clearing of Morley Field by campaign donors
Pawtucket Mayor Donald Grebien, who has been pushing this development hard behind the scenes, was at Grow Smart Rhode Island's Transit-Oriented Development Conference last Friday where he made rare public comments about the project when publicly questioned by environmentalist Greg Gerritt.
Providence City Council takes up ProvPort resolutions amid promises made to community
The Providence City Council is meeting Thursday, December 15th at 6pm to take up the ProvPort resolutions and other tax exemption agreements. The community, now invited to the table, will be watching and hoping for the outcome they worked so hard to achieve.
In victory for environmental justice, rushed ProvPort ordinances tabled indefinitely
The Providence City Council met last night to take up a pair of controversial ProvPort ordinances that had been rushed through the Providence City Council Finance Committee on Monday despite angry, passionate testimony from Providence residents .Councilmember Espinal announced that there would be no vote on the ordinances at the council meeting and that the ordinances were to be tabled indefinitely.
Providence Finance Committee ignores large outcry, passes ProvPort resolutions
The fix was in from the beginning, as the Providence Finance Committee, under the leadership of Councilmember Jo-Ann Ryan, disregarded procedure and the community to force through legislation no one but insiders testified in favor of.
Providence Sustainability Commission opposes current ProvPort deal
On Monday the Providence Sustainability Commission met with Director Keith Stokes, Business and Development Director of the Office of Economic Opportunity, to discuss proposals being fast tracked through the Providence City Council that will preemptively renew agreements between the City and ProvPort, Inc., preserving the environmental injustice status quo in the abutting communities for decades to come.
ProvPort lease renewal appears to be fast tracked to avoid negative public input
After this public hearing, the bill can be voted out of committee, sent to the entire City Council, and passed twice before Christmas - an apparent gift for those who run the Port, and more pollution in the lungs of the children who live in Wards 10 and 11. Director Stokes would not acknowledge the politics at work in fast tracking the Port legislation.
New data calls into question the soil testing done at Morley Field by the developer, JK Equity
What is the amount of lead in the soil at Morley Field? 4.1 at Morley Field. For comparison, Max Read Field (the natural grass sections) has a value of 12.7. That is more than three times the levels of lead found at Morley Field. Max Read Field is where the City of Pawtucket moved the kids from Morley Field! Even more significant, O’Brien Field was found to have a lead level of 22.4, five times that of Morley Field!
Rally to save Pawtucket's Morley Field as city ignores residents' pleas
Neighbors have spoken out against the plan to pave Morley Field at several City Council meetings. For the children and families who live nearby, Morley Field is an invaluable oasis in this densely populated corner of the city. Yet the City continues to move forward with plans to replace the park...
Activists call out Chase Bank for their role in the climate crisis
Nearly 50 climate activists marched down Thayer Street in Providence on Saturday to raise public awareness about Chase's role in the climate crisis.