§ 46-6.1-2 - Legislative findings.
SECTION 46-6.1-2
§ 46-6.1-2 Legislative findings. –The general assembly finds and declares:
(1) Marine transportation in the state depends on adequatedepth in waterways and harbors to permit the safe passage and operation ofvessels.
(2) Recreational and commercial boating depends on theavailability of channels, harbors, marinas, and mooring areas with adequatedepth to permit the safe passage, movement, mooring, docking, servicing andoperating vessels.
(3) Coastal features, such as salt ponds, can be impaired ashabitat if channels and breachways do not allow adequate water circulation.
(4) Dredging and appropriate dredged material management anddisposal are in the interest of the state in order to protect public health andsafety, to enhance environmental quality, and to preserve the recreationalopportunities and promote the economic well-being of the people of the state.
(5) General assembly recognizes and declares that the coastalresources of Rhode Island, a rich variety of natural, commercial, industrial,recreational, and aesthetic assets, are of immediate and potential value to thepresent and future development of this state; that unplanned or poorly planneddevelopment of this basic natural environment has already damaged or destroyed,or has the potential of damaging or destroying, the state's coastal resources,and has restricted the most efficient and beneficial utilization of theseresources; that it shall be the policy of this state to preserve, protect,develop, and, where possible, restore the coastal resources of the state forthis and succeeding generations through comprehensive and coordinated longrange planning and management designed to produce the maximum benefit forsociety from these coastal resources; and that preservation and restoration ofecological systems shall be the primary guiding principle upon whichenvironmental alteration of coastal resources will be measured, judged, andregulated.