The regulation of utilities in Rhode Island is the responsibility of the Rhode Island Public Utilities Commission (“RIPUC”). That commission is a creature of statute. As an attorney, practicing before the commission is different than appearing in state court. Public utility law follows various enabling acts and observance of a variation on the state’s rules of evidence and civil procedure.…
Rhode Island is home to a variety of natural resources. The state environmental laws in Rhode Island are available online at: State of Rhode Island General Laws. These laws cover many interest areas. One of these interest areas is the air we breathe every day. The public policy here is to preserve, protect and improve our air resources, codified at…
Property owners in Rhode Island must adhere to state and local land use regulations. This applies to all types of property – residential, commercial, industrial, and all others. The policies behind regulating land use are to ensure appropriate and positive social and environmental considerations. Some other goals are to manage resources, to properly plan for development, to promote environmental conservation,…
While some people are still denying climate change, young people across the globe are speaking out their potentially bleak environmental future: Greta Thunberg If you are interested in becoming an environmental attorney, I offer the following considerations. An Overview As a lawyer, I interface with environmental issues daily. This interface occurs on both regulatory and statutory levels. It also occurs…
A civil litigator’s clients don’t often have a full understanding of the complexities inherent in a civil matter. A comprehensive litigation definition must include a listing of the course of a case: Client intake and investigation Drafting and filing pleadings Discovery Motion practice and Pre-trial Trial Settlement, and Appeals process Client intake and investigation Managing a civil case from beginning…
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…
The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) and the RI Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) have developed revised freshwater wetlands rules needed to implement the findings and recommendations of a legislative task force that examined the adequacy of freshwater wetlands protection in R.I. The state Freshwater Wetlands law was previously amended to achieve two important goals: strengthen wetlands protection…
In Rhode Island, several state agencies regulate businesses. Corporate law related to coastal and environmental management follows specific regulatory tracks. Environmental law and coastal law compliance and enforcement are important initiatives for the government. This includes federal, state, and municipal branches. Just as individuals can be found liable for violations of environmental laws and regulations, so can companies. Coastal Law…
Today’s environmental issues need an almost constant review and revision to current environmental policies at both the state and federal levels. Exclusive reliance on historical sources of energy is no longer a viable option. Monitoring of resources like water quality shows that efforts to regulate human activity fails often. As human population increases, we see the need for increased attention…
The details of services provided by a utility lawyer are less well understood than the details of the legal profession in general. Utilities law is an area of practice that encompasses regulation of public utilities: suppliers of electricity, telecommunications services, natural gas, water and sewer services, cable television, motor carriers, and ferry services. The regulations covering these services are implemented…