A wise investment in our Bay: Vote yes on Question 7

Jonathan Stone and William Sequino
Posted 11/4/14

One of Rhode Island’s great success stories is the cleanup of Narragansett Bay. A “yes” vote on Question 7 will ensure the cleanup continues.

Few would argue that Narragansett Bay is the …

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A wise investment in our Bay: Vote yes on Question 7

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One of Rhode Island’s great success stories is the cleanup of Narragansett Bay. A “yes” vote on Question 7 will ensure the cleanup continues.

Few would argue that Narragansett Bay is the Ocean State’s most important natural resource. For more than 40 years, Rhode Island voters have recognized that investing in clean water yields extraordinary dividends. A clean and healthy bay – accessible to all – enriches our quality of life. It attracts employees and employers, sustains our tourism, hospitality and real estate industries and nourishes our very identity as a state.

On November 4, Election Day, voters have an opportunity to approve the $53 million Clean Water, Open Space and Healthy Communities Bond. The largest single element of this bond request is $20 million for the Rhode Island Clean Water Finance Agency (CWFA). CWFA’s mission is to provide low cost funds for urgently needed environmental and public infrastructure projects. And for each $1 Rhode Island invests in clean water projects through the CWFA, the agency is able to leverage it to $4.

For the first time in CWFA’s history demand for urgently needed wastewater treatment plant upgrades has outpaced the funds available. Each project proposal is carefully vetted by the RI Department of Environmental Management. Each project creates high paying jobs for local companies and workers. Most of all, the $20 million invested by the state will provide $80 million to $100 million of project funding that will improve the state’s water resources for generations to come.

But Question 7 goes beyond wastewater treatment. It includes other key investments in the long-term health of our environment and economy. Rhode Island’s manufacturing heritage has left the state with blighted “brownfields.” The Clean Water bond includes $5 million to clean up these sites and revitalize economic development, often in the heart of our cities and towns.

Who can forget the devastating floods of 2010? The Clean Water bond includes $3 million to invest in natural flood control, including flood plain restoration and dam removals. And the bond provides $3 million for farmland acquisition, which will boost our farm economy and protect farmland from being overtaken by suburban sprawl.

Last but not least, the Clean Water bond provides urgently needed funds to invest in some of Rhode Island’s most important outdoor recreational resources. It includes $18 million for Roger Williams Park and Zoo, one of the state’s most important tourist attractions, and $4 million for local recreation grants. The business and labor community have weighed in. The Providence, Newport and Northern RI Chambers of Commerce along with the RI AFL-CIO have strongly endorsed voter approval of Question 7. Together, we all understand the concept of “return on investment.” A “yes” vote on Question 7 will support economic growth today and yield dividends for years to come. Vote Yes on Question 7.

Jonathan Stone is Executive Director of Save The Bay. William Sequino Jr. is Executive Director of RI Clean Water Finance Agency.

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