2015 -- S 0861

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LC002544

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2015

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J O I N T   R E S O L U T I O N

MAKING AN APPROPRIATION OF $75,000 TO THE RHODE ISLAND DEPARTMENT OF

ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

     

     Introduced By: Senators Goodwin, Ruggerio, Miller, Metts, and Ciccone

     Date Introduced: April 28, 2015

     Referred To: Senate Finance

     (by request)

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     WHEREAS, As part of a coordinated effort to spur economic growth, the General

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Assembly and the Governor seek to enact several economic stimulus laws to assist Rhode Island

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businesses and municipalities, including legislation providing incentives to encourage economic

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development and to create jobs throughout this state; and

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     WHEREAS, For over two decades, WaterFire, a nonprofit arts organization, has been

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praised by Rhode Island residents and international visitors alike as a powerful work of art and a

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moving symbol of Providence's renaissance; and

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     WHEREAS, WaterFire has proven to be a valuable driver of economic development,

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generating $114 million of spending in local businesses, creating $9.3 million in tax revenue for

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the State of Rhode Island and the City of Providence, and supporting 1,294 jobs for residents in

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the community; and

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     WHEREAS, Every year, build-up of sediment in the Providence River basin, the cause of

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which is unknown, renders it more difficult for WaterFire to continue without expensive dredging

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of the WaterPlace park basin, providing, at best, a temporary solution; and

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     WHEREAS, An appropriation of $75,000 will help enable WaterFire to continue to boost

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Rhode Island's economy by funding an engineering study to help manage and prevent the

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ongoing sand and silt accumulation; now, therefore be it

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     RESOLVED, That there is hereby appropriated, out of any money in the treasury not

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otherwise appropriated for the fiscal year 2015-2016, the sum of seventy-five thousand dollars

 

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($75,000) to the Department of Environmental Management to fund a study on the cause and

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proposed solutions for the build-up of sediment in the Providence River Basin; and the state

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controller is hereby authorized and directed to draw his orders upon the general treasurer for the

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payment of said sum, upon receipt of properly authenticated vouchers.

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LC002544

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