Rick Mandile, CEO of SAGE Environmental, Rhode Island’s largest environmental, health & safety consultancy and Chairman of the RI Environmental Business Council (EBC), was asked to testify in front of the RI Senate Finance Committee regarding Governor Raimondo’s budget for the RI Department of Environmental Management (DEM).

Mr. Mandile voiced his support for the Governor’s modest request to add 11 staff persons to DEM in its Waste Management and Parks Divisions.  

Mr. Mandile noted that he and his staff “interact on a daily basis with the folks in DEMs environmental protection group”. He went on to say that “most development projects in RI come with a variety of environmental challenges…Remember, we live in the oldest industrialized state in the country; the birthplace of the industrial revolution is just up the road in Pawtucket at Samuel Slaters Mill. And that this industrial legacy comes with a variety of environmental challenges that DEM and we in the environmental consulting and engineering community necessarily have to work through creatively and cost effectively.”  

Mr. Mandile went on to highlight three recent projects that will result in almost half-a-billion dollars invested in Rhode Island. These projects might not have happened were it not for DEM staff and their active and creative “can-do” engagement in helping advance these through the Department’s regulatory process.

These projects included:

1. The environmental assessment and cleanup of the former BP Oil Terminal in East Providence, known as Kettle Point, which will result in over $100+MM of investment and the hiring of hundreds of employees at the new University Orthopedics Surgical Center and the creation of over 400 apartment units and 70+ private residences
2. The assessment and cleanup of a former landfill on a portion of the new Citizens Bank Johnston Campus resulting in $285MM to be invested and the hiring of over 3,000 staff
3. The environmental assessment and administrative closure of the former Alexion facility in North Smithfield, which enabled Rubius Therapeutics to purchase the property and invest over $150MM in the next 5 years and hire over 150 personnel.   

More information on the proposed budget increase can be found in this article. DEM’s 2020 Budget Includes More Staff, Camping Fees

Watch Rick Mandile’s testimony here: