Rhode Island AG Successfully Intervened in Litigation over Proposed Marina Expansion to Protect State’s Coastal Resources and Ensure Public Input

FEBRUARY 8, 2021

Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha filed a motion to intervene in litigation over the proposed expansion of a marina on the Great Salt Pond in Block Island, RI. The proposal was approved by the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) outside of the council’s normal review channels, through a memorandum of understanding between the CRMC and the developer. In a memorandum in support of the motion to intervene, AG Neronha emphasized that approving the “unexplained, unjustified” marina expansion based on the results of a “closed-door mediation” between the CRMC and the developer “violates the public trust and jeopardizes [Rhode Island’s] natural resources.”

On October 14, 2022, the Rhode Island Supreme Court issued a decision denying the expansion of the marina. AG Neronha released a statement commenting on the outcome of the case.