Projo 7 to 7 News Blog

The Conservation Law Foundation Tuesday filed a motion with the Rhode Island Supreme Court seeking a stay to block Champlin's Marina from expanding while CLF and various groups on Block Island appeal a lower court decision approving the expansion.

"Champlin's must not be permitted to expand while the Supreme Court considers the merits of the case," said Jerry Elmer, CLF staff attorney. "Allowing Champlin's to expand while the lawsuit is being heard could cause grave and irreparable damage to the fragile ecosystem of one of Rhode Island's premier environmental treasurers."

Superior Court Judge Netti C. Vogel issued a ruling in February allowing Champlin's to expand another 170 feet into Block Island's Great Salt Pond. The decision followed years of hearings by the state's Coastal Resources Management Council over what has become the biggest coastal controversy in more than a decade.

CLF argued that several public-interest organizations are involved in the dispute, while in contrast Champlin's is a private corporation seeking financial gain from the state's public trust waters.

 Tags  Block Island environment

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