Closing Time: Beer and Wine at Markets Put on Hold

By DAVE FISHER/ecoRI News staff

PROVIDENCE — A few weeks ago, ecoRI News published a roundup of environmental bills and resolutions that were being introduced by the General Assembly. One of those bills would have allowed local wineries and brewpubs to sell their libations at farmers’ markets. The bill’s primary sponsor, Rep. Jared Nunes, Coventry/West Warwick, pulled the bill before it was even heard by the House Committee on Corporations.

He pulled the original bill for several reasons.<<Read more

Food Co-Ops Gaining Ground on West Side

By DAVE FISHER/ecoRI News staff

PROVIDENCE — The city's West Side is what food policy wonks call a food desert. That doesn’t mean there's no food available in the area; it means there's a lack of access to fresh foods such as fruits and vegetables. The neighborhood has its share of convenience stores and smaller markets for meats and such, but, until recently, the community lacked a grocery store within walking distance for the socio-economically diverse area.<<Read more

R.I. Joins 10 States in Suing EPA on Soot Standards

By ecoRI News staff

PROVIDENCE — Attorney General Peter Kilmartin has joined with 10 other states in filing a lawsuit to force the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to issue rules against soot. The coalition took legal action after the EPA failed to meet an October 2011 deadline to adopt national air standards to limit soot pollution.

The lawsuit, filed Feb. 13 in federal district court in New York City, asks the court to direct the EPA to promptly propose, and then finalize, new soot pollution standards.<<Read more

Will R.I. Renewable Energy Tax Credit Return?

By JANINE WEISMAN/ecoRI News contributor

When the General Assembly repealed the renewable energy tax credit in June 2010, the move came as part of a personal income tax system revamp designed to make Rhode Island more business friendly and create jobs.

Tell that to Newport Solar owner Doug Sabetti. “It has completely shut down my business,” he said of the abrupt end of the state’s renewable energy system tax credit program on Jan. 1, 2011.<<Read more

Climate Change Out of USDA's Comfort Zone

By DAVE FISHER

"The USDA understands the impact that agriculture has on our climate, and vice versa, and is committed to helping our nation’s farms and farmers mitigate and adapt to the future climate by helping to reduce their dependence on fossil fuels, transition to sustainable and restorative work and conservation practices, providing funding for prevention and removal of invasive species, and supporting regional food systems including transportation and processing concerns."

Unfortunately, that's not what the federal agency said in response to the planet's warming trend.<<Read more

Out-of-State Trawlers Depleting R.I. Herring

By TIM FAULKNER/ecoRI News staff

PROVIDENCE — Several giant and unwelcome intruders are cruising Rhode Island waters.

Out-of-state fishing trawlers, about 150 feet long, have been fishing close to the Narragansett and Charlestown shoreline since January, scooping up massive hauls of herring and allegedly damaging fishing equipment and boats.<<Read more

R.I. Summers to Resemble Georgia's

By SARAH SCHUMANN/ecoRI News contributor

KINGSTON — Rhode Islanders have seen their fair share of climate change, whether they know it or not. Some of those changes are conspicuous, such as last year’s October snowstorm. Others are less obvious, such as the 10-inch rise in sea level that has taken place on the Newport shoreline since 1931.

According to University of Rhode Island oceanographer Isaac Ginis, those changes are just the beginning.<<Read more

Food Forum Focuses on Fair Farm Funding

By DAVE FISHER and TIM FAULKNER/ecoRI News staff

PROVIDENCE — Farming in Rhode Island ain’t easy. Start with the backbreaking physical labor, move on to the long hours, add a sporadic and variable income, endless layers of state and local bureaucracy, and a federal farm policy that, to paint with only slightly broad strokes, doesn’t work for any farms in New England. It’s enough to make you wonder how agriculture hasn’t completely closed up shop in the biggest little.<<Read more

RIC Makes Strong Case for Better Transit Choices

By AARON BUCKLEY/special to ecoRI News

PROVIDENCE — Before public transportation became a hot topic on the student-body agenda, Rhode Island College (RIC) was the only public institution in the state that didn’t offer a subsidy for RIPTA e-fare passes. Both the University of Rhode Island and the Community College of Rhode Island have been offering half-price passes for the past few years because of dedicated student fees.<<Read more

Societal Cost of Litter is Largely Hidden

By DAVE FISHER/ecoRI News staff

There is a problem in the United States that, despite a 61 percent decrease in the past 40 years, still costs taxpayers and businesses about $11 billion annually. It has nothing to do with taxes and regulation, though a bit more enforcement of existing laws seems warranted given the size and scope of the problem.

We're talking about litter — tons of it.<<Read more