No one in Washington DC has been more vocal about the need to address climate change than Senator Sheldon Whitehouse. And here in Rhode Island, no one has been more vocal than Sierra Club director and former congressional candidate Abel Collins.

On Friday, at 2pm, these two leading climate activists will be together at the Ocean Mist in Matunuck – perhaps the most obvious example of how climate change is and will continue to alter coastal Rhode Island. The iconic Ocean State beach that is a mainstay of the Matunuck economy gets closer and closer to the water as climate change exacerbates coastal erosion.

From the Facebook event:

It’s been a hot week. Cool off on Friday and come have a FREE Climate Change Cocktail and Sign the Washington Bound Banner! Speakers include Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, Kevin Finnegan O’Mist Owner, and more. For additional information call 401-578-0210

For more on climate change, Whitehouse speaks about it on the Senat floor every single week. Here’s his address from this week:

The biggest surprise in the Cicilline v. Doherty slugfest is not that the race has seemingly tightened (polls typically do as the election gets closer), it’s that Doherty has perhaps managed match Anthony Gemma in ugly and untrue campaign accusations. While Doherty hides behind the fact that some of the worst ads weren’t paid for by him, he’s certainly setting the tone. Case in point: his campaign defends the often untrue TV ads by saying that Cicilline started it by going negative first. That’s uncommon integrity in the same way that Oliver Twist possessed uncommon wealth … uncommon because of its dearth. Ian Donnis has a nice piece on the new dueling Doherty ads that hit the airwaves yesterday.

Also from the WPRI poll: Senator Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressman Jim Langevin are still expected to walk to victory over their Republican challengers. “…the big thing is Collins is drawing 9% of the vote,” pollster Joe Fleming told WPRI. “That is very high for an independent, and in turn Michael Riley can’t get any traction going because Mr. Collins is drawing votes away from people who don’t like Jim Langevin.”

Remember on Sunday when I postulated that hurricanes could be called progressive natural disasters because they disproportionately affect the rich and powerful? Well RIPR reports that both our US Senators and the governor are still without power. I don’t know where Sheldon lives, but Jack Reed lives in a coastal neighborhood in Jamestown and Gov. Chafee lives right on the water in the Potowomut area of Warwick. According to folks I know in both those neighborhoods, Reed got power back yesterday around 3 p.m. and Chafee’s street is still without electricity.

Think about this for one second: as a result of little more than simply growing up in an affluent suburb, I know neighbors – and friends – of probably most of our state officials … journalists who grew up in West Warwick and Central Falls don’t enjoy that advantage. It’s just one of the many benefits of being raised around affluence. And why if society doesn’t work hard to level the playing field between the haves and the have-nots it can quickly spiral out of control, as we’re currently witnessing…

Speaking of the socioeconomic divide in America and why we should mitigate against it, consider this NPR headline: Want To Be Rich? Be Lucky, Know The Right People.

And speaking of Hurricane Sandy, every storm that the Ocean Mist survives is a gift. Check out this ProJo photo and you’ll see why. We won’t have this iconic beach bar forever, so enjoy it while you can…

And speaking of the Ocean Mist, I know a guy who used to moonlight as a bouncer there so he could make ends meet while working for a municipal public works department during the day. He worked throughout the dangerous winds and even more dangerous surf of Sandy all Monday and into early Tuesday morning, just so the world would be a bit safer for the rest of us. This is the kind of person who is getting their retirement security slashed by pension reformers.

If you think gerrymandering has become too political, read about how Nevada became the 36th state, which happened today in 1864.

Happy Halloween, everybody … did you know you can watch the horror classic “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” on YouTube?

The Journal ran a story Sunday on Rhode Island’s new efforts to deal with coastal erosion. It’s a decent piece, but it understresses a couple of important points and misses a few more.

First, the problem of shore erosion has been and will continue to be intensified by sea level rises pushed by global warming, which, yes, is caused by people. In fact, we might do well to skip the middle man and just say that climate change, like Soylent Green, is people. People are accelerating the erosion of Rhode Island’s shore. That approach would be perhaps uncomfortably blunt, but the ProJo is suspiciously tactful on the matter. Their article mentions rising sea levels and worsening storms as if these phenomena are happening for no reason at all.

Second, it’s important to note that the problem of shore erosion requires collective action. We’re talking about a threat to common property–property no one in Rhode Island can own privately. Sure, private property is in danger, too, but the site of the first damage and of the bulwarks against further damage will be the commonly-owned shore. Towards the end, the article has an interesting thing to say about the different incentives posed by slow erosion and big emergencies, such as hurricanes, but it leaves understated the importance of the property status of Rhode Island’s shore.

Then there a couple of things left entirely unsaid. Most important among them is a question: what does Rhode Island want to do with its life?

The impetus for the ProJo piece are the actions being taken by RI’s Coastal Resources Management Council to combat shore erosion, mainly a $1.3 million study that will lead to a Special Area Management Plan. Much of the article focuses on the technical solutions to shore erosion the study may discover, but more important are the values the study will bring to the fore–the values of the people who live around Narragansett Bay. What do they actually want out of the Bay? What do they want it to do?

Other people, in other places, have expressed quite clear values in their approach to caring for their shores. Last month, North Carolina infamously, madly, risibly drafted a bill that would require the state to ignore accelerated sea level rise in its shore management planning. When this brand of stupidity makes it to the level of a state legislature and becomes formalized in actual legislation, it transforms into something more than stupidity: it’s now a value. North Carolinians prefer posturing against anthropogenic climate change to having a beautiful, healthy shore. It’s a choice.

We’ll see what choices Rhode Islanders make as the CRMC study develops.

The other thing–a very important thing–the ProJo article misses is the strong evidence that SAMPs can work. After the 2003 fish kill in Greenwich Bay, CRMC convened some big meetings to figure out what could be done to prevent such calamities. One of the outcomes was the Greenwich Bay Special Area Management Plan.

This plan called for, among other things, sewer tie-ins for homes by the shore. The problem that needed to be addressed was that nitrates from septic tanks leech into the Bay where they feed huge algae blooms, which, after they blossom, die and decompose. The bacteria that feed on the decomposing algae suck up massive amounts of oxygen, and this process can cause hypoxia, low-oxygen events that asphyxiate fish.

There is evidence that the Greenwich Bay SAMP has cleaned up the Bay. Warwick delivered lots of sewer tie-ins, and, in 2010, DEM and the Department of Health found that a large patch of water in front of Apponaug Cove, a patch of water closed for almost two decades on account of bad fecal coliform bacteria counts, had become clean enough to open for shellfishing.

That’s serious. The bacterial standard for shellfishing is more stringent than that for drinking water. So, by caring for the poor menhaden who died in 2003, the people who live around Narragansett Bay made a thick bed of quahaugs available for commercial harvest in 2010. In mid-December of that year, several hundred guys crammed into the water in front of Apponaug Cove to make a day’s pay digging quahaugs.

The Bay is interconnected. It’s complex. But it can be managed properly. It can be well-kept. The important thing to recognize is, not only can Rhode Islanders’ values be reflected in the actions they take with regard to the Bay, but these values will be reflected, no matter what.

An in-depth look at Rhode Island’s Homeless Bill of Rights, and why we would want to become the first state in the nation to adopt such a proposal.

The US Chamber of Commerce’s TV ad for Brendan Doherty signals that Citizens United is now having an effect on local elections in Rhode Island … not sure how the unions feel about this, but I know I don’t want the US Chamber to have an outsized role in selecting our senators and congressmen.

Scott MacKay says URI professors have a strong case if they go to the state labor relations board that the state engaged in bad faith negotiations … the two sides pretty much had a deal until the governor stepped in.

We predicted it would be there and then Sunday morning it was … the New York Times put together a great story on the plan to stop beach erosion in Matunuck, and how it could affect the legendary RI beach bar the Ocean Mist. For a local perspective, read Matunuck resident Tracey O’Neill’s story that scooped the Times on Saturday. And, really, this picture I took on Friday night of the surf creeping up close to the back deck tells the whole story. Full disclosure: I do not want to live in Rhode Island without an Ocean Mist.

My piece on Rhode Island being the Democrat in name only state really seems to have riled up the right. Justin Katz countered it with a post based on a study that claims the legislature is actually one of the most liberal in the country and on Saturday Travis Rowley gave it his normal fire and brimstone treatment. Rowley is entitled to his opinion. Katz’s piece, on the other hand, is simply intellectually dishonest – no one really thinks our state legislature is particularly liberal except those trying to manipulate facts for their own benefit.

Watch this video to see why venture capital firms like Bain Capital are bad for the economy.

A new masterplan for the heart of Providence … read this if you’ve always loved the idea of living and working downtown.

MATUNUCK — This coastal community in the far reaches of South Kingstown harbors all the working ingredients of a self-sustaining village. The corner store, surf shop, pizza parlor and hometown pubs play host to local residents, tourists and daily beach-goers every year.

In the heart of Matunuck village stands the Ocean Mist, sitting high on pilings above the Atlantic, a virtual dock of hedonism, enjoyed, remembered and revisited by people of all walks of life. Together, The Ocean Mist and village of Matunuck have evolved over the years.

“I wouldn’t be here without the people of Matunuck and the village wouldn’t be the same without the Ocean Mist. We are a community here, one that works together, says Kevin Finnegan, who’s owned the bar since 1988. Nodding to Tara’s, the Ocean Mist’s sister pub next door, Finnegan tells the story of a unique banding of peoples. “People come in here and migrate to Tara’s. They come back and forth. We work together – share coolers, customers, onions, whatever we need to do.”

Chuckling, Finnegan reminisced about his unabridged ride as the Captain of the ship and long-time resident of the village. “I’m from Providence, grew up in the city. I was fortunate that my parent’s had a house at Roy Carpenter’s beach. I spent all my summers here as a kid.”

Living at the beach house as soon as he was able to drive, Finnegan began his bid for the Ocean Mist. “It took four or five years, but I finally got the previous owners to sell it to me.” The bar which had previously only been seasonal, opened in May 1988 under Finnegan’s reign and has been open year-round ever since.

Now a full pub, breakfast haunt, live music venue and beach bar, an eclectic venue where all are welcome, the Ocean Mist is the community hub.

“The crowd is so diverse. Where can you sit down for a cold beer and have the hell’s angels to your right – a grandmother to your left? The mayor, the police, senators are all here together,” says Jack Hanley who’s worked for Finnegan since the beginning.

When asked his thoughts on the possibility of the Ocean Mist being washed out to sea, Hanley turned somber. “I would be heartbroken.”

The Ocean Mist is the first building in the line of defense against severe ocean tides and beach erosion in Matunuck.  The town, Coastal Resources Management, (CRMC), private property owner’s and environmental agencies are caught in a net of red tape that has tested the limits of time and Mother Nature. Finnegan and several property owners to the east on the tiny stretch of Matunuck shoreline are awaiting a resolution that will allow them to protect their properties.

“I have people who depend on me,” says Finnegan time and again. “My employees, vendors, the musicians, the list doesn’t end. I’m not just in this for myself. This is a community. If the Mist goes, the situation – erosion will just continue down the beach.”

The erosion issue, not unique to Matunuck is a growing concern up and down the east coast. Whether it be the shoreline of Block Island Sound, Long Island or Virginia Beach, coastal erosion and sea level rise have become a global concern. Those coastal areas occupied by homes and businesses, by families and communities are of critical concern.

Legal maneuverings, meetings, research and agendas are now taking Finnegan’s time away from the business that he has nurtured for more than 20 years.  When asked what he would be doing if the situation were resolved, Finnegan had a quiet answer for a quiet day at the beach.

“I’d be selling beer,” he said. “It’s what I do.”

Executive Director, Grover Fugate presented a four-prong approach for dealing with the critical erosion issues in Matunuck and other Rhode Island Coastal areas. The first prong, of immediate concern dealt with the “imminent peril situation” in Matunuck, presented by Town Manager, Stephen Alfred as a public health and safety concern for residents should Matunuck Beach Road infrastructure fail.

Calling upon the full Council to take action in support of public safety, Fugate proffered his plan. “It is an attempt to try and deal with the problem that is immediately before us.” Implemented as a stop gap measure, the 202 ft. armament was designed to shore up the critical segment of road presently exposed by severe and sustained erosion.

In his memo, dated May 4, 2012 to the Council in anticipation of the vote, Fugate cautioned, “Even if the town were to agree on some of the alternatives suggested at the hearings and in the staff reports, there is an implementation lag of 18-36 months. The road is already in a compromised state and one good coastal storm could significantly damage it.”

Attorney William Landry, representing Kevin Finnegan, owner of the Ocean Mist, as well as Francis O’Brien who owns Tara’s Pub, just east of the Ocean Mist property pleaded with the council to consider additional measures. Suggesting soft measures and a united approach to resolving the Town’s issue, Landry acknowledged the existent conditions.

“There is a vulnerable area west of the Ocean Mist at which the most severe erosion is occurring. Frankly, it may well be occurring because of the location of the Ocean Mist and the swirling effect of the water collecting in that area. That’s the area 40 ft. maybe tops where everyone is saying, we’re getting real close to the road here.”

Donald J. Packer, attorney for residents and abutters spoke in support of the Town’s proposal and presented the Council with the additional support of the trustees responsible for the parcel of land directly adjacent to the sheet pile wall placement.  Addressing his colleague’s indication that the Town didn’t have the ability or own the land south of the proposed armament, seaward, assured the council that his clients were on board. “I think that we can maybe put on the table in dealing with the condemnation issue, [they] are prepared to work with the Town and what’s necessary with the town to do what they need to do.”

Packer’s clients have been in previous discussion with Finnegan regarding a possible purchase of the property adjacent to the Ocean Mist on the west.  “Apparently there is nothing on the table at this point other than the Town’s proposal. My clients at this point are concerned that the road will be lost and are asking that this be approved.”

Several environmental advocacy groups appeared to testify before the council with each voicing its concern regarding hardened structures and while acknowledging the need for immediate action in the case of Matunuck.

The special exception granted and application approved, the question of time still weighs heavy on the residents of Matunuck. The Town will need to move through the necessary stages of approval with the State Department of Transportation in advancing the project. Utility lines, approved for relocation will be moved to the northern side of Matunuck Beach Road prior to commencing construction.

The Town’s timeline, per Alfred is for construction to begin the first week in September. Hurricane season will be underway and the hope is to have the project complete before another major storm wages war with what remains of the beach and headlands adjacent to the road.

CRMC recommendations moving forward include a comprehensive Special Area Management Plan (SAMP) for Rhode Island’s shoreline, monitoring and enforcement in designated areas and a cooperative effort of all individuals concerned with ongoing protection and mitigation efforts for the State’s barrier beaches.

The original request filed in September 2011 was heard before the full council on April 10, 2012 and denied  as Town officials, residents and environmental concerns sought an alternative to construction.

The Town of South Kingstown whose responsibility for public health and welfare overshadows the issue of private property and shoreline protections, has expended approximately $45,000 in engineering expenses and clocked hundreds of man hours in its efforts to protect the road.

Primary concern for reconsideration is the critical state of a section of Matunuck Headlands shoreline wrought with years of sustained erosion from the waters of Block Island Sound to the south. The 202 ft. stretch of headlands directly abuts Matunuck Beach Road, the sole road and emergency services access to the homes and businesses to the east. The road infrastructure houses the community water line, also a public safety concern.

The hearing will take place in the South Kingstown High School auditorium at 6:00 pm tonight.

In a 6-2 vote, the Council voted no, voicing concern with reclassifying the existing shoreline designation of “Coastal Headlands Bluffs and Cliffs” to that of a “manmade shoreline.”

Anthony Affigne, CRMC member, made his feelings clear from the moment he took his seat.

“I want to indicate a great deal of frustration with the 11^th hour situation. “I went to Matunuck Beach Road. It is clear that the erosion has continued,” he said. Having conducted a site visit just prior to the meeting, Affigne was adamant in his contempt for the lack of prior mitigation sources.

“Town officials have known for decades and been aware for decades. We have our backs against the wall and [we] are being forced to make a decision,” argued Affigne. “We are here in a situation of imminent peril.”

The Town’s case, presented by Steve Alfred, who holds the titles of Town Manager and Public Safety Director, is also premised on imminent peril. The road leading into Matunuck is in danger of failure. The Town has been before the Council on several occasions concerning the Matunuck Headlands issue. The last on April 10, requesting approval for the construction of a sheet pile wall along a 202 ft. stretch of Matunuck Beach Road is pending reconsideration. The section of road in question housing the community’s water line is being compromised by storm surge and coastal erosion.

The April 10 hearing also ended in the Town’s application being struck down. Many residents, property owners and environmental watchdog agencies who testified in opposition, also opposed the reclassification. Some, represented by counsel, lent their support with limitations on restrictions and stipulations. The Town’s petition for reconsideration of the sheet pile wall application was tabled in light of the reclassification hearing and will be heard on May 8.

The reclassification to manmade shoreline, proposed for an approximately 1400 ft. stretch of coast, represented the Town’s efforts to assist property owners and residents attempting to erect protective measures along the southerly, seaward side of 11 affected parcels.

The current natural designation, usually attached to coastline along Type I waters, affords less opportunity for the placement of permanent protective structures for private property owners. The Coastal program specifically prohibits “construction on or alteration of coastal cliffs and bluffs and contiguous areas where such construction or alteration has a reasonable probability of causing or accelerating erosion or degrading a generally recognized scenic vista.”

Supportive of previous discussions with property owners, the Town adopted the posture that the change to “Manmade Shoreline” properly reflected the “historic character of portions of the Matunuck shoreline.” Manmade Shoreline is not typical of Type I water designation, another issue to be considered by the Council as the Matunuck Shoreline is Type I. The new designation, if approved, would have provided property owners an administrative vehicle providing for the construction of protective structures.

A mixture of business and residential concerns, two of the parcels of immediate concern house the Ocean Mist and Tara’s Pub, small businesses, whose owners are concerned not only for their properties and livelihood, but for that of their employees. In May 2011, the two businessmen submitted Preliminary Determination requests for construction of a combined sheet wall and riprap structure, seaward of their properties. Coastal storms and the combined efforts of all interested parties in reaching viable solutions had those applications tabled.

Represented by William Landry at the latest hearing, the business owner’s presented a case more supportive of beach nourishment, replenishment and conservation.  “We ask that we be given the opportunity to present an appropriate solution within the next year that involves beach replenishment and addresses compliance issues,” provided Landry, referencing the outstanding issue of coastal compliance violations.

Several environmental agencies came forth to testify in opposition to the reclassification. Calling forth visions of the Great Wall of China, each presented the issue of precedential caution. A decision in favor of reclassification would bring forth property owners up and down the coastline.

Brian Wagner, representing the Surfrider Foundation, Rhode Island Chapter, spoke against the erection of seawalls in general and opposed reclassification of shoreline in favor of private construction concerns. Wagner made it clear that the foundation was opposed to the reclassification and reconsideration requests, cautioning the Council. “It’s the first step down a very slippery slope.”

Tricia K. Jedele, representing the Conservation Law Foundation, cautioned the Council about making decisions not provided for in the CRMC Red Book. “Who has the ability to request a reclassification? Can the Town request it? Can any individual who owns coastal property request a reclassification?” she asked. “Your program is not clear.”

What was clear, was the report prepared by CRMC staff in advance of the Council’s reclassification decision. A change to manmade shoreline would have to include stipulations concerning any subsequent construction and Army Corp of Engineers involvement.

The Council, now faced with a reclassification request absent the proposed hard structure wall, replaced with a beach replenishment proposal of sorts – a flip-flop on issues, seemed perplexed. “Had a request for replenishment been submitted, it would have been signed the next day,” responded Grover Fugate, CRMC Director.

Was there ever a Great Wall of China on the table or was there actually a Chinese Wall – a veritable lack of connection put in place by opposing side’s inability to communicate? The turnout of residents, Town officials, environmentalists, conservationists and the litany of attorneys tells the story. Place the Great Wall proposal on the shelf and consider the Chinese Wall breached. There has been a call to the table.

Open for discussion are many questions concerning the future of the seaside community of Matunuck.  Is there an issue of imminent peril? Will the road fail? How does the Town provide for public health and safety, absent the ability to protect Matunuck Beach Road? When and how will beach replenishment be accomplished?

Perhaps the most important question is one without immediate answer. “Will New England’s changing weather patterns afford Matunuck the benefit of a year’s time?”

The seaside community escaped the wrath of a harsh New England winter. Time and weather, as virtual unknowns for the future, a decision has to be made.

“You’ve got everybody’s attention,” said Landry. “Golden moments fly.”