RI Senate confirms final member to retooled CRMC

The newly reshaped Rhode Island Coastal Management Council (CRMC) is set, with the Rhode Island Senate confirming Scott Rabideau as the sixth and final appointee on Thursday.

The 38-0 vote, made without discussion, answers the mandate set by lawmakers nearly one year ago to reduce the size and increase the relevant expertise of the influential coastal regulatory panel. Rabideau, a retired wetlands permitting consultant and Ethics Commission member — he also served as a Republican state representative from 1995 to 2002 —  fulfills the designated role for a coastal biologist. The other five appointees, confirmed by the Senate on May 26, include an engineer and an environmental organization representative, per the 2025 law. There is also a seventh, non-appointed seat reserved for a representative from the Department of Environmental Management.

Reducing the politically appointed panel from its current, 10-member roster to seven intends to solve the recurring vacancies that have forced the CRMC to cancel meetings due to quorum issues. And, adding professional requirements — all six appointees must have experience in coastal and environmental matters — seeks to quiet criticism over controversial decisions made by the guardians of state coastal development and resources.

But the remedy has not appeased the most vocal critics, including Save the Bay, which maintains the only solution is to get rid of the appointed council altogether. Legislation introduced in both chambers this year would merge the CRMC into the Department of Environmental Management, handing over decision-making power to expert staff. The bills, which also propose a new, 10-member community advisory board to offer input and hold public hearings, remain under review in their respective committees. Legislative leaders have offered no indication that they intend to advance the bills to the floor before the end of session, expected on June 12. 

A revised fiscal 2027 budget scheduled to be voted on by the House on Friday also does not include any money for the proposed restructuring, which a state analysis suggests could cost $1.7 million. 

Rabideau’s appointment also sets up a new opening on the nine-member Ethics Commission, from which he intends to resign Friday in accordance with state law. Ethics commission members cannot simultaneously hold public office or participate in other government groups that “directly or indirectly” influence state decisions.

Rabideau said he was not confirmed with the other CRMC nominees last week because he wanted to be able to participate in the ethics panel’s Tuesday meeting, including a scheduled review of the final order resolving an ethics complaint against former administration director Jim Thorsen.

Gov. Dan McKee’s office did not immediately respond to comments regarding when he plans to nominate a replacement to Rabideau on the Ethics Commission.

The CRMC is scheduled to hold its first meeting with the newly-appointed panel on June 9.