2019 -- S 1020

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LC002805

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2019

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S E N A T E   R E S O L U T I O N

CELEBRATING RHODE ISLAND'S NO.1 RANKING FOR THE BEST NATURAL

ENVIRONMENT IN 2019

     

     Introduced By: Senator V. Susan Sosnowski

     Date Introduced: June 26, 2019

     Referred To: Placed on the Senate Consent Calendar

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     WHEREAS, According to the U.S. News & World Report’s 2019 annual rankings,

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released in May, Rhode Island ranked first in the nation for air and water quality, and is the top

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state for natural environment; and

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     WHEREAS, In order to determine the best and worst states, various rankings based on 80

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metrics, including economy, infrastructure, public safety, fiscal stability, and opportunities for

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residents, are measured and determined. The rankings also factor in healthcare, education, crime

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and corrections, and the natural environment; and

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     WHEREAS, Among the measures used to evaluate states' natural environments were

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drinking water quality, urban air quality and total toxic chemical pollution per square mile; and

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     WHEREAS, Rhode Island's policymakers have enacted legislation and implemented

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numerous regulations over the past decade to ensure a safe relationship between the people of the

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State and the State's environment; and

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     WHEREAS, These laws and regulations have not only helped preserve the state's natural

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resources, but have also protected the public from harmful toxins and resulting health concerns;

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and

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     WHEREAS, The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM)

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serves as the chief steward of the state’s natural resources and has diligently worked with myriad

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partners including the Coastal Resources Management Council, the Audubon Society of Rhode

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Island, and the Narragansett Bay Commission, to restore the state's lands and waters, to conserve

 

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wildlife and marine resources, and to monitor environmental quality in order to build healthy,

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more resilient communities; and

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     WHEREAS, Rhode Island's Congressional Delegation has been tireless in their advocacy

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for key programs in support of air, land and water conservation including, working to safeguard

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the Land and Water Conservation Fund, bringing tens of millions of dollars in federal funding for

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Clean Water and Safe Drinking Water State Revolving Funds, spearheading efforts to pass the

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American Opportunity Carbon Fee Act, a federal law that would impose fees on carbon and

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greenhouse gas emissions, and creating the Blackstone Valley National Historic Park, to name

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but a few; and

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     WHEREAS, For the past four decades the Rhode Island General Assembly has passed

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and Governors have signed countless bills designed to protect the Ocean State’s natural resources

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and have supported and approved legislation for open space and clean water bonds. In addition,

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Rhode Island was one of the 18 states that supported the Clean Power Plan that would implement

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an EPA-approved plan to reduce air pollutants from industrial facilities such as chemical plants

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and utilities, and has passed legislation earning Rhode Island the distinction of being a national

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leader in both renewable energy and energy efficiency; and

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     WHEREAS, Rhode Island's joint efforts to safeguard the state's natural environment have

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brought about accountability, meaningful action, and laudatory results; now, therefore be it

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     RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantation

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hereby celebrates Rhode Island's No.1 ranking for the best natural environment in 2019 by the

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U.S. News & World Report; and be it further

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     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to

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transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Director of the Rhode Island Department of

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Environmental Management, the Coastal Resources Management Council, the Audubon Society

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of Rhode Island, the Narragansett Bay Commission, and the Rhode Island Congressional

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Delegation.

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