ecoRI News

ecoRI News focuses on covering environmental and social justice topics in southern New England. Our journalism aims to educate the community and empower individuals with the knowledge they need to take care of their surroundings effectively.

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Stumpgate Update: Trees to be Replaced Near Roger Williams Park, RIDOT Says

1 week ago | ecori.org | Bonnie Phillips

PROVIDENCE — The contractors who mistakenly took down trees near Roger Williams Park will plant new ones, according to the Rhode Island Department of Transportation. “Some of the new landscaping will be planted in 2025, and the final landscaping will be installed upon completion of the bridge in 2027,” RIDOT spokesperson Charles St. Martin wrote.
Bill Would End Contract with Firm Engaged in Study of New Bus Hub

1 week ago | ecori.org | Bonnie Phillips

PROVIDENCE — Whether the state will move its bus hub out of Kennedy Plaza has been an ongoing debate for years, with the latest plans to build a new transit center near the train station. But a bill currently before the General Assembly would put a halt to that project, canceling the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority’s contract with Next Wave, the agency’s private partner on the hub project.
Environmental Firm Hired to Develop R.I.'s First Coastal Resilience Study

1 week ago | ecori.org | Bonnie Phillips

PROVIDENCE — The global built environment design consultancy Arup has been chosen to conduct the state’s first comprehensive coastal resilience study, the Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank and the state Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM) have announced. The initiative stems from the 2024 passage of Act on Coasts legislation by the General Assembly, which amends the state’s climate plans to add a specific plan for coastal resiliency, and mandates it be updated every two years.
Legislation Would Bring Back Commission Combining Housing Development With Land Conservation

1 week ago | ecori.org | Bonnie Phillips

PROVIDENCE — Lawmakers are poised this year to revive a long-defunct commission that promises to build new housing and conserve the state’s green space at the same time. Legislation (H5310/S0711) to revive and update the state’s Housing and Conservation Trust Commission is well on its way to passing through both chambers of the General Assembly.
California Decision Will Make R.I.'s Transition to EVs More Difficult

1 week ago | ecori.org | Bonnie Phillips

PROVIDENCE — Rhode Island’s electric vehicle transition may have been given a near death blow last week, after the U.S. Senate voted, 51-44, to rescind a waiver that allows states to have more control over their emissions standards.
Agroforestry, Silvopasture Combine Forests and Fields to Restore, Protect Land

2 weeks ago | ecori.org | Bonnie Phillips

SOUTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. — Peckham Farm looked like more field than forest during a tour early Tuesday morning. A sod farm for many years, the field is now dotted with white pipes sticking up from the ground housing saplings that will grow into native trees: chestnuts, oaks, maples, and black willows. The University of Rhode Island is turning the field into a , professor Laura Meyerson explained on the tour, which was part of the two-day Rhode to Regenerative conference.
Testimony Over RIPTA Bills, Wealth Tax Clash at House Finance Hearing

2 weeks ago | ecori.org | Bonnie Phillips

PROVIDENCE — On a drizzly Wednesday night, a crowd packed into the House Finance Committee hearing room. About half were there to speak on behalf of bills that support multimodal transit, including legislation that would put a $100 million transit bond on the 2026 ballot; modify and increase the proportion of the gas tax the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority receives; and allocate $32 million to the agency to address its deficit.
What's Old Is New Again: Age-Old Practice of Composting Gains Traction in R.I.

2 weeks ago | ecori.org | Bonnie Phillips

CHARLESTOWN, R.I. — Mike Merner, one of the faces of composting in Rhode Island, originally planned to become a golf course superintendent. His father had been one in New Jersey, where Merner is from, but after studying agriculture at the University of Rhode Island, he realized he didn’t want to be around the country club scene and preferred landscaping.
Neronha: Smallest State Plays Outsize Role in Battling Trump Administration

2 weeks ago | ecori.org | Bonnie Phillips

PROVIDENCE — When some of the Democratic attorneys general, including Rhode Island’s Peter Neronha, began to contemplate the possibility of a second Trump presidency, with the resulting threats to everything from health to research to the environment, they came up with a plan.
Providence Port Day Brings Reminders of City's Polluting Past, and Present

2 weeks ago | ecori.org | Bonnie Phillips

PROVIDENCE — More than 100 people attended tours, talks, and workshops about the city’s port district Saturday for Providence Port Day at Johnson & Wales Harborside Campus. Organized by The Providence Eye, a nonprofit newsroom and a publishing partner of ecoRI News, the event was meant to highlight the history, struggles, and strengths of the neighborhood.