Rhode Island General Laws Title 23. Health and Safety § 23-19.14-1. Legislative findings

(1) In Rhode Island, there are hundreds of sites that have varying degrees of contamination from hazardous materials;

(2) The contamination is often an obstacle to redevelopment due to the liability relating to the sites;

(3) Clean up standards and objectives must be consistent with a site's current and reasonably expected future use;

(4) Financial institutions are often cautious or unwilling to lend to businesses that wish to expand at or relocate to sites that have or are feared to be contaminated;

(5) Rhode Island's urban corridor contains many sites that have been found by federal or state programs to be contaminated;

(6) The following cities and towns have numerous known sites:  Cranston, East Providence, Johnston, North Smithfield, Pawtucket, Providence, Warwick, West Warwick, Woonsocket, and Central Falls.  There are also many potential sites in these and other municipalities that may have been contaminated by historical industrial activities;

(7) [Deleted by P.L. 2002, ch. 186, § 1.]

(8) Proper redevelopment and reuse of these properties would not only benefit the state's economy and the employment of those who live in the urban corridor, but would also benefit the state's environment;  and

(9) The redevelopment and reuse of these impacted sites will control and remove the existing contamination and will reduce the artificial economic incentive to develop previously undisturbed natural resources.