§ 46-23.2-2. Legislative findings. (a) The general assembly finds and declares that there is a need for an environmental monitoring system in the state that is capable of:

(1) Measuring the changing conditions in the functionality and health of the waters of the state, including, but not limited to, Narragansett Bay and its watersheds, with one purpose being identifying and predicting potential problems in the marine and freshwater habitats;

(2) Providing a data-based management system that employs central database via the internet to store an internet-based electronic system to monitor, store and disseminate the analysis of this data to decision-makers and the public;

(3) Establishing a mechanism to coordinate and make consistent, monitoring efforts between government agencies, municipalities, nonprofit organizations and universities; and

(4) Providing the comprehensive data needed to assess a sudden perturbation in the marine and freshwater environments and to contribute to efforts of disaster prevention, preparedness, response and recovery as defined in chapter 15 of title 30 entitled "The Rhode Island Emergency Management Act."

(b) The general assembly recognizes and declares that the health of the waters of the state, including, but not limited to, Narragansett Bay and its watersheds needs to be monitored comprehensively on a long-term basis in order to be proactive in planning and responsive to potential problems in the environment, including those that may arise due to a changing climate. The availability of consistent environmental data supports planning and management and provides resource managers, decision-makers and citizens with information on how marine and freshwater habitats are responding to management programs and what adjustments need to be made to existing programs or what new programs must be implemented to achieve healthy marine and freshwater environments.

(c) The general assembly recognizes the need for an integrated mechanism by which individual monitoring efforts can be coordinated and managed as a system in which the functionality of Narragansett Bay, its watersheds and other watersheds are measured and individual planning and management efforts are adjusted to respond to support effective environmental management.

History of Section. (P.L. 2004, ch. 144, § 1; P.L. 2004, ch. 210, § 1; P.L. 2015, ch. 141, art. 16, § 4.)