In this episode, we are going to discuss the Seekonk River oil spill. There have been two spills in this area over the past few months and we are going to discuss what happens if you have contaminated soil on a property, we will explain what a C-A-P is, (the environmental remediation industry will put into place as…
Some readers and environmental lawyers are familiar with the term Superfund Site, which is a site needing remediation to address high levels of hazardous material(s) in the site’s water or soil which threaten human health or the environment. In Rhode Island, the RIDEM is the agency which enforces the state’s Remediation Regulations. Today, we’ll discuss what the regulations require, and…
Earlier this month, the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) announced an award of $180,000 to the City of Pawtucket, Rhode Island. The grant is to clean up brownfields sites and repurpose them. Today’s blog post will address what brownfields sites are, their remediation, and how environmental laws and regulations assist with the remediation. Background on Brownfields Sites Brownfields are public and…
For a long time, land use planning has consisted of efforts conducted at the state and municipality levels, to guide individuals and businesses’ development plans. However, it is becoming more common for these planning efforts to guide developments proposed through community land use planning processes. Essentially, community land use planning takes the comprehensive planning done by the state and/or the…
To analyze whether a particular activity or project may detrimentally affect the natural resources around it, an Environmental Impact Assessment is necessary. Review of environmental consequences are another way to describe this process. An assessment is completed prior to a decision about whether to proceed with a project or activity. Environmental Impact Assessments, more often known as Environmental Assessments, do…
Within every municipality exists a zoning regime that governs residential, industrial, and commercial land use and redevelopment. Climate change is playing a major role with respect to land use. Over the past few decades, storms and rising ocean levels have impacted our state’s shorelines, sometimes unearthing contamination. Liability may arise in any of these contexts, and commercial land use is…
Land use planning refers to the practice whereby land owners, developers, municipalities, environmental attorneys, and other professionals collectively work to approve a land-based project in accordance with principles and engineering that promotes an appropriate social and environmental effect, while also employing resources efficiently. The benefits of land use planning are myriad: environmental protection, avoidance of urban sprawl, departure from impacts…
The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM), which regulates the state’s business environment and law, announced recently that it is preparing the next round of Request for Proposals (RFP) for the Brownfields Grants through the Brownfields Remediation and Economic Development Fund. Through the business environment and law, RIDEM also announced that it expects to offer approximately 2.5 million dollars…
Building and town planning is a phrase used generally to reference approvals for land use planning – municipal initiatives undertaken to regulate the use of land in an effort to avoid land use conflicts. Building and town planning uses a strategic vision to carefully manage resources to match future needs and expectations.There is customarily an element of natural resources protection,…
RIDEM recently announced the availability of grants to assist with the development of contaminated properties; applications are due on June 29, 2018. Desautel Law can provide advice and guidance with your application. We have successfully assisted other applicants with previous rounds of this funding.