All that rain over the last few days was just what we needed to see if our new CSO tunnel can do the job. The project was built to divert stormwaters out of our combined sewer systems in Providence, so we don't get raw sewage overflowing into the Bay every time it rains. And it worked! We're hopeful that the water quality improvements in the upper bay and the urban rivers will soon start to create healthier habitats for fish, shellfish, and other wildlife.

Click here to read about the CSO's first real-world test, in the Projo. Click here for a recent Prov Business News story about the project. And click here for info about Save The Bay's Bay Bash fundraiser, next Saturday, which will celebrate the completion of the project.

NNN editor Mary Grady is out in the field on assignment today, and there just wasn't a chance to get out today's newsletter. We will get back to our regular schedule next Thursday!

For today, if you are looking for ideas for things to do this weekend, check out our NNN Community Calendar, which is always updated every day by a slew of contributors. You can find more listings at the Projo Green page, and at the Save The Bay Web site.

We'll be back on our normal schedule next week! Meanwhile, take some time to explore our archives and all our content, via the navigation links across the top of the page and the categories in the left sidebar. Happy weekending! 

Maybe you've caught Patrick Kennedy's TV spot about green jobs for R.I. (you can view it online). And here is another local candidate from Aquidneck Island, promoting a green economy as the key to our economic future, over at RI Future. Could this be an idea whose time has finally arrived?

This might weigh in under the "duh, no kidding!" category, but interesting nonetheless to see a study showing that spending time outdoors has a postiive impact on kids.

Click here for the story.

On August 21, 2008, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse convened a panel of Narragansett Bay scientists to comment on the state of the Bay as it is impacted by global climate change. Below is the full text of the Senator's opening statement and the panelists' remarks.

Senator Whitehouse's Opening Statement at Environment & Public Works Committee Field Briefing at URI Bay Campus

“Global Warming’s Impacts on Narragansett Bay”

August 21, 2008

Narragansett, R.I. - Thank you all for being here today on a very special occasion: an official field briefing before the Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works.

As a member of the Committee, it has been my honor and privilege to serve under our Chairman, Senator Barbara Boxer of California. She has been a relentless, passionate, and energetic leader on the subject of global warming, and it is because of her generosity, and the tireless efforts of her staff on the Committee, that we are able to hold this briefing. I am grateful to her for her courtesy. I also sincerely appreciate the generosity of the University of Rhode Island for hosting this briefing on their campus.

Finally, I'd like to extend a special thanks to our excellent panel of witnesses, all distinguished members of Rhode Island's scientific and environmental community: Dr. Kate Moran of the University of Rhode Island; Grover Fugate of the Coastal Resources Management Council; Dr. Jon C. Boothroyd, State Geologist; John Torgan of Save the Bay; and Dr. Caroly Shumway of The Nature Conservancy. Each of them has valuable information to share about the impact of global warming on our Ocean State, and I'm proud that their testimony will become part of the official record of our Committee.

Five years ago today, tens of thousands of menhaden washed up onto the shores of Greenwich Bay, in the worst fish kill our state had seen in decades. Warmer temperatures led to stratification in the water column, which led in turn to eutrophication and lower dissolved oxygen levels. The fish suffocated as they swam. It was a stark reminder of the vulnerability of our precious Narragansett Bay - and a warning of the consequences of global warming even in our own communities and waterways.

Global warming is the most serious threat our environment faces today. And while it will take a global effort to truly solve this crisis, we must begin to take action here at home if we intend to leave to our children and grandchildren an earth as bountiful as the one we inherited from our parents and grandparents. To meet this growing challenge, we must take bold, aggressive action - and we must take that action now - to mitigate the consequences we have already begun to experience and to prevent greater disaster in the future.

I'm proud that Rhode Island is tackling global warming head on. Rhode Island participates in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a coalition of Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states working together to limit pollution from power plants. Our state legislature is working to pass legislation expanding the use of renewable energy, improving energy efficiency, and greening our public transportation fleet. We have adopted aggressive vehicle emissions standards that, once allowed to go into effect, will lower greenhouse gas emissions from new cars in Rhode Island by 30 percent in just the next 8 years. Nationwide, that would be the equivalent of taking 74 million cars off the road for an entire year. Our scientists and universities are on the cutting edge of climate change research - a role I hope they will expand - particularly as to global warming's impact on coastal areas. And innumerable non-profit organizations, several of which are represented here today, are working diligently to protect Rhode Island's unique natural beauty, including our prized bay and coastal areas.

The Ocean State is a leader in state efforts to address the impact of climate change because we must be. As the Ocean State, with our 400 miles of coastline, Rhode Island will experience the brunt of global warming, and we must be ready.

Today we will hear from some of Rhode Island's foremost experts, who are tirelessly working to prepare our state for the impacts of global warming. These scientists and advocates and the organizations they work for, as well as the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, our state legislators, our universities, and our many committed non-profit organizations are setting an example for other coastal states to follow.

But they should not have to confront this challenge alone, so I have authored an amendment to the Climate Security Act that would help provide coastal states the resources to collect the information they need, such as data on projected sea level rise, severe weather, and associated flood risks, particularly improved storm surge modeling and ocean topography data, to prepare for and adapt to global warming.

Let me quickly explain how today's proceedings will work: in just a moment, I will introduce each of our witnesses, and ask them to deliver their testimony before the Committee. Under the rules of the Committee, these statements will be limited to five minutes each, though each witness will be given the opportunity to enter more extensive testimony into the official record if they wish to do so. Once each witness has testified, I will have some questions for them. Unfortunately, the Committee's rules do not permit members of the audience to ask questions during the proceedings.

Thank you all again for joining us today.

source: http://whitehouse.senate.gov

The panelist testimony is available only in Word document or PDF format. Click below to download each file.

Click here for John Torgan's testimony. 

Click here for Jon Boothroyd. 

Click here for Grover Fugate.

Click here for Caroly Shumway. 

Click here for Kate Moran.

At Bullock's Cove in Barrington yesterday, the sight of hundreds of dead fish floating on the surface showed that we have a long way to go here in R.I. to protect our natural resources. Such kills can occur due to a number of factors -- hot summer weather (the warmer water gets, the less dissolved oxygen it can hold), few windy days (wind helps mix oxygen back into the water), rain events (rain washes oxygen-draining nutrient pollution into the water via runoff and storm drains) -- all of this together, and you can end up with fish that are left gasping for breath, and while some will swim away, not all of them make it.

Save The Bay Baykeeper John Torgan was on the scene to survey the damage. To see a brief video interview with John at the site, click here. To learn more about nutrient pollution and why fish kills occur, go to Save The Bay's Web site.

Bullock's Cove is located between Narragansett Terrace (Bullock's Point) in Riverside (where the Looff Carousel is), and Barrington's West Barrington neighborhood on the other side. Haines Memorial State Park and the East Bay Bike Path are along its west shore.

To raise Rhode Islanders' awareness of the effects of climate change on Narragansett Bay, our coastal areas, and our communities, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse will chair a field briefing of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works at URI's Bay Campus in Narragansett, next Thursday, August 21, at 10:30 a.m. The briefing is open to the public.

"Left unchecked, climate change will affect every community in every nation on earth, altering our Ocean State -- and the entire world -- in ways we are only beginning to understand, and coastal communities will be among those at greatest risk," said Sen. Whitehouse.  "This issue is real, time is of the essence, and action is called for."

Members of Rhode Island's scientific and environmental advocacy communities will present evidence of the impacts of climate change on the Bay and discuss ways in which the state can prepare.  The briefing is considered to be an official meeting of the E&PW Committee, and its proceedings will be entered into the Committee's official record. Click on "More..." for more details.