Attorney General petitions to intervene in Rhode Island Superior Court case involving marina expansion in Block Island's Great Salt Pond

Published on Tuesday, April 20, 2021

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Attorney General Peter F. Neronha announced that his office has petitioned the Rhode Island Superior Court to intervene in Town of New Shoreham v. Champlin's Realty Associates, one of several ongoing cases stemming from a proposed marina expansion on Block Island that affects the State's coastal resources and the regulatory process designed to protect them.

The petition to intervene is the second instance where the Attorney General has sought to intervene in litigation to protect Rhode Island's unique coastal environment and ensure that the Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) follows the legal requirements necessary to a democratic process before approving Champlin's bid to expand its marina.

"Our motion to intervene in this matter, filed in court yesterday, should make it clear that this Office has a strong ongoing interest in ensuring that the regulatory processes put in place to protect our natural resources are followed by state agencies," said Attorney General Neronha. "Agency decisions made outside of the administrative process come at the expense of the public's confidence and trust, both in the process and in the institutions charged with overseeing it."

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