Rhode Island

Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch announced that Rhode Island has joined a coalition of 13 other states, New York City, and Washington, DC, in suing the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for failing to protect the public health and the environment.

Lynch said that the EPA and the Bush Administration are in violation of the Clean Air Act by having set weak standards that do not effectively regulate the amount of ground-level ozone air pollution allowed in the atmosphere.    » read more »

General Treasurer asks Senate Judiciary Committee to support legislation to shield renters from subprime fallout, preserve quality of life in RI neighborhoods

PROVIDENCE -- 4/1/08 -- Rhode Island General Treasurer Frank Caprio testified before the Senate Judiciary committee this afternoon in support of legislation he has proposed to protect Rhode Island renters from becoming the next wave of victims in the subprime mortgage crisis. In addition to leaving many homeowners struggling with mortgages they cannot afford, the collapse of the subprime mortgage market has devastated many renters who are being left without a home because their landlords were unable to avoid foreclosure.    » read more »

Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch together with the attorneys general of 16 other states and the District of Columbia, two cities, and 11 environmental advocacy groups today asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to order the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to respond to last year’s landmark ruling in Massachusetts v. EPA.

That ruling, issued by the U.S. Supreme Court a year ago today, required EPA to make a decision on whether to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles under the federal Clean Air Act. Today’s court filing, known as a Petition for Mandamus, requests an order requiring EPA to act within 60 days.    » read more »

April 1, 2008 -- Rhode Island Governor Donald L. Carcieri today reiterated his belief that elected officials have an obligation to enforce and support all federal, state and local laws -- including those barring illegal immigration.

"Last week, I issued an Executive Order that is designed solely to enforce the illegal immigration laws currently on the books," Governor Carcieri said.

Anti-immigration sign on a garage in Chepachet, Rhode Island: (Photo CC Apollo-Jack)    » read more »

Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch issued the following statement concerning the briefs that the State filed today in connection with the appeal of the historic verdict in the lead-paint litigation. The Rhode Island Supreme Court is expected to hear arguments on this case on May 15, 2008.

“Today we filed arguments on behalf of the State urging the Supreme Court to uphold the historic verdict entered by a jury of Rhode Island citizens after hearing months of arguments. In part, our briefs assert:    » read more »

Boston, Mass., March 17, 2008 – Nearly $5.4 million in grants and innovative financing are available to Northeastern communities and organizations working to significantly reduce diesel emissions and improve public health.    » read more »

3/4/2008 -- Providence, RI: Hillary Clinton tonight scored a decisive victory in the Ocean State, winning the popular vote by a margin of 58%-40% with 98% of precincts reporting.

"Voters reaffirmed tonight what we’ve been saying since the beginning: Rhode Island is squarely behind Senator Clinton," said Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, co-chair of the Clinton campaign in RI. "This campaign was unprecedented: we phone banked, we canvassed, and we made Senator Clinton’s case all over this state. Tonight it paid off."    » read more »

Coverage Begins 10:00PM (ET) with Robert Siegel and Melissa Block Anchor and Reporters in Key Primary States and with Candidates

Washington, D.C.; March 3, 2008 – NPR News will offer live comprehensive broadcast and webcast coverage of the March 4 primaries starting at 10:00 PM (ET) with NPR newsmagazine All Things Considered hosts Robert Siegel and Melissa Block as anchors.    » read more »

Monday, March 03, 2008 -- ABC News NOW's wall-to-wall coverage of the March 4 Presidential primaries and caucuses will be available LIVE on the Homepage, the Politics section and the ABC News NOW site on ABCNEWS.com. Coverage will begin on Tuesday, March 4 at 7:00 p.m., ET and continue until 11:00 p.m., ET.    » read more »

Senator Whitehouse and Chairman Gioia Host Grants Workshop

2/21/2008, Providence, RI -- At a meeting Wednesday night, the Providence Democratic City Committee’s Executive Committee and Ward chairpeople overwhelmingly endorsed Hillary Clinton for president citing her ability to bring real solutions to the problems facing America’s families.    » read more »

New England continues trend of lower releases to air, land and water

Boston, Mass., Feb. 21, 2008 – EPA’s most recent Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) data is now available for the reporting year of 2006. This year, due to continued increases in electronic reporting by industry, TRI data is available earlier than ever for both local communities and national analysis.    » read more »

2/18/2008 -- Mayor David Cicilline, State Senator Juan Pichardo and Councilman Leon Tejada emphasize Hillary Clinton’s experience and dedication to issues affecting the Latino community    » read more »

2/18/2008 -- The Hillary Clinton for President campaign today announced a seasoned team of campaign veterans to lead its Rhode Island efforts leading up to the March 4 presidential primary. Christine Heenan joins the campaign as Rhode Island’s Communications Director, and Roger Lau comes aboard as the State Director. Gina Ormand will serve as the Political Director, and Jennifer Bramley will be the Deputy Communications Director.    » read more »

February 13, 2008 -- ARLINGTON, VA -- U.S. Senator John McCain's presidential campaign today announced additions to its Rhode Island Leadership team. The new members join State Chair and House Minority Leader Robert A. Watson.    » read more »