Rhode Island General Laws Title 46. Waters and Navigation § 46-23-2. Coastal resources management council created--Appointment of members

(a) There is hereby created the coastal resources management council.  The coastal resources management council shall consist of ten (10) members.  Nine (9) members shall be appointed by the governor, with advice and consent of the senate, and one member shall serve ex officio.  All current appointments to the coastal resources management council made by the governor with advice and consent of the senate are hereby validated and ratified and those appointees shall serve until a new seven-member (7) council is selected pursuant to subsection (b) of this section or for the remainder of their term, whichever shall occur first.

(b) Notwithstanding subsection (a) of this section, on March 1, 2026, all current members of the coastal resources management council shall have their terms expire.  In anticipation thereof, prior to March 1, 2026, the governor shall appoint a coastal resources management council that shall consist of seven (7) voting members, one of whom shall be the director of the department of environmental management who shall serve ex officio.  The six (6) remaining members shall be public members appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the senate.  All appointed members shall possess background, qualifications, and expertise in environmental and coastal management matters, provided that one of whom shall be an engineer;  one of whom shall be a coastal biologist;  and one of whom shall be a representative of an environmental organization.  Current or past service on the coastal resources management council shall not disqualify an individual from reappointment pursuant to this subsection.  Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the seven-member (7) council is not seated by March 1, 2026, in accordance with this section, the members appointed pursuant to subsection (a) of this section shall continue to serve until such time as all members are appointed and confirmed in accordance with this section.

(c) In addition to the foregoing voting members, the coastal resources management council may include a varying number of other members who may serve in an advisory capacity without the right to vote and who may be invited to serve by either the governor or the voting members.  These advisory members may represent the federal agencies such as the navy, coast guard, corps of engineers, public health service, and the Federal Water Pollution Control Administration, and such regional agencies as the New England River Basins Commission and the New England Regional Commission and any other group or interest not otherwise represented.

(d) There may be established a coastal resources advisory committee which committee, appointed by the executive director of the coastal resources management council, may include, but not be limited to, representation from the following groups:  one of whom may be a representative of the university of Rhode Island graduate school of oceanography and the college of resources development, one of whom may be a representative of the Sea Grant National College Program, one of whom may be a representative of the army corps of engineers, one of whom may be a representative of the federal environmental protection agency's Narragansett Bay laboratory, one of whom shall be a representative of the coastal resources management council, one of whom may be the director of the department of environmental management;  one of whom may be a member of the Rhode Island Marine Trade Association and one of whom may be a representative of a regional environmental group.  The coastal resources management council shall have the authority to appoint such additional members to the advisory committee as is deemed necessary or advisable by the advisory committee or the council.  It shall be the responsibility of the committee to advise the coastal resources management council on environmental coastal resources management issues relating to dredging and permitting related thereto, including, but not limited to, those issues defined in §§ 46-23-18.1--46-23-18.3, inclusive.

(e) The council shall have the authority to form committees of other advisory groups as needed from both its own members and others.