Quonset Port Proposal Springs Major Leaks

The past two months have been a rough time for developers of the proposed large container port at Quonset Point. In rapid succession, more and more questions have been raised about the experience of the developers and the desirability of constructing a container port that would require filling in at least 300 acres of Narragansett Bay and dredging the channel leading to the port. Just witness the following events:

Port developer Charles Norton declared bankruptcy in 1993 and as recently as a month ago, had a tax lien on his home
Earlier this year, developer Martin Grasso owed taxes to Massachusetts and had a tax lien placed on his property
Former Cookson American chief executive officer Donald Carcieri announced plans to oppose the port saying container ports are "ugly, dirty and noisy."
Republican party leaders Joseph White of North Kingstown, S.G. Payne of East Greenwich, and Vincent Marzullo of West Warwick complained Governor Lincoln Almond has not paid attention to state Republicans opposed to the port
The Newport and Jamestown Town Councils voted to oppose a large container port at Quonset Point
North Kingstown town officials met with Governor Almond to present an alternative, scaled-down proposal for their own port
Ch6 reporter Jim Hummel traveled to a port in Charlestown, South Carolina and broadcast a story showing that while container ports create jobs, they also are loud, dirty, and noisy, and generate lots of traffic
Ch10 reporter Gene Valicenti went to the port in Seattle, Washington and interviewed people who claimed the port has damaged the Puget Sound environment
Philippe and Jorge of the Providence Phoenix continued their outspoken criticism against the port proposal
Providence Journal columnist M. Charles Bakst announced on the Ch36 show "A Lively Experiment" that opposition by environmental groups to the port should not be underestimated.

But the biggest bombshell came on May 18 when the board of directors of Save the Bay and the Conservation Law Foundation, two of the state's largest and most respected environmental organizations, voted unanimously to oppose the proposal for a large container port. The group's opposition is significant politically because each has respected community leaders on their boards, including major figures from the business community. Both groups have promised a willingness to fight the large container port all the way. This guarantees a long and protracted battle to obtain state and federal permits for the port, a process that could take up to five years.

This move was followed on May 25 with a hard-hitting report from Grow Smart, a land use and economic development group, questioning the state's planning capabilities for large-scale economic developments. The group, led by executive director Scott Wolf, identified six problems that had not been addressed by port developers: whether there was a sufficient water supply for the project, the impact of traffic and emissions, the fact that the relocation of Route 403 would not be complete for 13 years, the lack of a major highway connection from Route 4 to Interstate 95, the lack of a comprehensive study of the impact of the proposed port development on facilities, land use, housing, and urban sprawl, and bureaucratic in-fighting between the Coastal Resources Management Council and the state Department of Environmental Management.