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Polisena says he will resist state health regulation

4:24 PM Thu, Jun 18, 2009 |
Mark Reynolds    Email

JOHNSTON, R.I. -- The town will boycott a new state regulation that calls for each public water system to force each household to install a device that keeps contaminants from flowing into the water supply from residential homes, according to Mayor Joseph M. Polisena.

Public water systems across Rhode Island must notify the state Department of Health about their progress on the initiative by June 30.

"I'm not doing this," said Polisena, who governs a water system that supplies about 1,750 homes in Johnston.

"I'm trying to be a realist with the economy," Polisena said. "In case the Department of Health doesn't know it, things are bad. I don't have the manpower and womanpower to go out and enforce this."

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Comments

Anonymous said:

Its amazing how the state makes up these "regulations" and then expects the cities and towns to go out and enforce them without question. Another unfunded mandate by the state. In fact, the governor, in his speech made mention how the state had cut its work force over the years in an effort to control costs....all smoke and mirrors..yeah, the state cut its work force...and transferred all the work to the cities and towns who in turn had to raise taxes to hire people to enforce these "regulations" (not laws). Nice slight of hand...throw it on someone else to deflect criticism about you...



Robert said:

Good for the mayor. These devices will cost money and there is no one who can afford to pay for them. At a time when money is so tight, the Dept of Health is out of their minds to expect cities and town to comply. The DoH is a waste of an organization who just wants to make a name for themselves. Isn't this the same group of hacks who set up a 'red alert' about the H1N1 virus? Oh no! People have the flu! The sky is falling!




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