R.I. leaders pause on bottle bill, calling for more study
Bottle bills have been introduced off and on in Rhode Island since the early 1980s, but they have run into stiff opposition from the national beverage companies and local retailers.
Get Rhode Map
A weekday briefing from veteran Rhode Island reporters, focused on the things that matter most in the Ocean State.
Enter Email
Sign Up
The most recent push began in 2023 with Representative Carol Hagan McEntee, a South Kingstown Democrat, and Senator Mark P. McKenney, a Warwick Democrat, co-chairing a special legislative commission on the issue.
Advertisement
On Monday, Shekarchi, a Warwick Democrat, and Lawson, an East Providence Democrat, issued a joint statement thanking that commission for studying the issue for a year and a half.
But, they said, 'There is still a great deal of conflicting data as to the implementation of best practices to address the problems of improving and disposing of our recyclable products, as well as enhancing our anti-littering efforts.'
Shekarchi and Lawson said they believe it's in the best interests of Rhode Islanders to study the issue further.
Advertisement
They said the amended legislation would enable the state Department of Environmental Management to 'work with an independent third-party consultant with relevant expertise to conduct an assessment with input from local key stakeholders.' A report would be due no later than December 2026.
McEntee told the Globe she was disappointed.
" I'm very surprised by it because we've already studied this to death," she said. 'If it is with the intent of taking step two next year and implementing the bottle bill, then I may be able to be sold on that, but I'm not sure what it is.'
McEntee said the special legislative commission listened to 'all of the stakeholders' and made adjustments to their proposed legislation.
For instance, she said that under the proposal it would not be mandatory for any business to take the bottles or cans back, and it would not cost the state anything because a producer responsibility organization would run the program.
" I really think it's important to have a bottle bill," McEntee said. 'Without one, we're not going to be able to attack the litter situation, the situation in Narragansett Bay with all of the microplastics, and the poor recycling rate.'
She said she will try to make further changes to the bill that Shekarchi and Lawson have amended. 'In its current state, I don't think it has a good chance of passing the House Environment Committee,' she said.
Edward Fitzpatrick can be reached at
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
43 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Chappaquiddick Tapes Reveal New Details Into Ted Kennedy's Involvement in Mary Jo Kopechne's Death
Damning tapes that paint a dark picture of an alleged cover-up of the 1969 death of Mary Jo Kopechne at Chappaquiddick Island — and the involvement of the late Ted Kennedy in the tragedy — have finally resurfaced after conveniently vanishing over 30 years ago, a disappearing act that allowed the powerful Massachusetts senator to walk away from the deadly scandal virtually unscathed, sources say. Now, insiders believe the discovery may reveal a sinister cover-up that threatens to permanently shatter the reputation of the once-revered Camelot clan. Sources say the Kennedy crisis recently exploded when the son of now-dead investigative writer Leo Damore revealed that he uncovered his father's cache of audiotaped interviews with significant figures linked to the evening of Mary Jo's death. No explanation of how or why they disappeared was given. 'Kopechne's parents died feeling like they never got justice — because Ted got away with murder,' longtime Kennedy insider Leon Wagener tells GLOBE. 'Ted covered it up — and the cops helped him. 'These tapes have the potential to finally reveal the truth about Chappaquiddick and ruin the Kennedy family's reputation!' Recently, a Globe report exposed allegations that former President John F. Kennedy — Ted's brother — impregnated trailer park mistress Joan Lundberg before ascending to the White House, but paid her to have an abortion. News of the bombshell tapes also comes amid claims that staunch Democrat Kerry Kennedy banned her U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services brother Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — an appointee of Republican President Donald Trump — from the family's annual July 4 shindig in Hyannis Port, Mass. As Globe readers know, Mary Jo attended a late-night party in 1969 that Ted hosted on Chappaquiddick for the 'Boiler Room Girls' — a group of politically ambitious young women. Married Ted left the party with Mary Jo, 28, and detoured to the Massachusetts island's lover's lane, but his 1967 Oldsmobile Delmont ultimately plunged off a bridge and landed on its roof in a pond. Ted survived — but Mary Jo was left to die in the wreckage. The big shot, who succumbed to a brain tumor in 2009 at age 77, didn't report the crash for 10 hours and later claimed he'd tried to rescue Mary Jo, who some say was pregnant with his child. Leo Damore had used the resurfaced tapes to write his explosive 1988 best-seller, Senatorial Privilege: The Chappaquiddick Cover-Up, which alleges that Ted utilized the Kennedy political machine to bury the sketchy incident and attempt to salvage his White House ambitions. However, the tapes disappeared after Leo's 1995 suicide as he worked on a book about JFK mistress Mary Pinchot Meyer, who in 1964 was gunned down in Washington, D.C. Many suspect her unsolved murder was orchestrated by the CIA to keep her from revealing the agency's supposed role in JFK's 1963 assassination. Leo's son, Nick, 39, tells People the tapes were found in a briefcase under the bed of one of his father's late lawyers and contain hours of interviews, including extensive chats with Ted's late cousin Joe Gargan. In another book, Chappaquiddick Revealed: What Really Happened, author Kenneth Kappel alleges drunken Ted crashed into a tree, thought Mary Jo was dead and sought help from Gargan and friend Paul Markham. Kappel writes that the trio pushed the Olds off the bridge to make it appear as if Mary Jo had been at the wheel alone to keep Ted from being charged with vehicular homicide. Officials believe Mary Jo survived inside the death trap for hours in an air pocket. According to Leo's book, when Gargan suggested Ted call the police, the pickled politician replied, 'I'll take care of it,' but went home to sleep it off instead! Ted later pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident and received a two-month suspended sentence. Nick Damore declined to comment for this article.
USA Today
6 hours ago
- USA Today
Senate confirms Trump's pick to oversee higher ed, a man tied to for-profit colleges
The Senate confirmed President Donald Trump's pick to oversee higher education policy, a man with deep ties to the for-profit college industry, by a 50-to-45 vote on August 1. Senate Majority John Thune filed cloture on Kent's nomination earlier in the week. And the education committee had already advanced Kent on a 12-11 vote without a hearing in late May. The undersecretary at the Department of Education oversees billions in federal financial aid and is charged with ensuring America's colleges provide a quality education. Education Secretary Linda McMahon had previously told USA TODAY that Kent is a 'natural leader' whose experience and concern for students 'make him the ideal selection for under secretary of education." He had won the support of several prominent university trade groups who are opposed to Trump's attacks on universities, but said they supported Kent's nomination. His confirmation comes as the Trump administration seeks to reshape higher education and has launched numerous investigations into high profile universities. Kent had already been working at the agency on the administration's initiatives like K-12 school choice. But prior to working in the government, Kent had a long history working for or close to for-profit colleges. From 2008 to the end of 2015, Kent worked for Education Affiliates, a for-profit college company. When he left, he was a vice president of legislative and regulatory affairs. In 2015, the Department of Justice announced the company had agreed to a $13 million settlement to settle accusations it had gamed the federal financial aid system. The company told USA TODAY Kent was not involved in the settlement or the allegations of fraud. Critics, including student advocacy groups and teacher unions, had called on the Senate education committee to put Kent through a public hearing to answer questions about his time working for the company. And one of the original whistleblowers tied to that case, Dorothy Thomas, expressed concern about someone from the company's leadership holding the under secretary position. Kent had also worked for Career Education Colleges and Universities, a for-profit college trade group. He developed a reputation for deep policy knowledge while speaking against regulations geared toward the for-profit college industry. That group's CEO, Jason Altmire, said Kent was not driven by partisan politics and would bring an unbiased view to the under secretary position. He then went to work for Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin's administration as a deputy secretary of education. Youngkin, in a prepared statement, said Kent improved how Virginia manages colleges and made them more accountable to students and families through increased transparency. Chair of the Virginia Senate's education committee, Democrat Ghazala Hashmi, told USA TODAY Kent had tried to destabilize accreditation in the state and he was aligned with efforts to dismantle consumer protections. In a departing message to the commonwealth, Kent said he was proud of reducing costs while pushing for free speech and accountability at Virginia's colleges. Chris Quintana is an investigative reporter at USA TODAY. He can be reached at cquintana@ or via Signal at 202-308-9021. He is on X at @CQuintanaDC
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
German Economy Minister Reiche says social systems under pressure
German Economy Minister Katherina Reiche believes that social security systems in Germany are under pressure. The Christian Democrat (CDU) politician said after a company visit in the western city of Essen on Thursday that a comprehensive - and critical - review of Germany's social systems is due in the autumn. "They must deliver what the citizens expect from them: security and reliability. But we also know that reforms are needed," Reiche said. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has spoken of a "reform autumn." "There is really nothing to add to that," she said. "Tipping point" The coalition has agreed to set up various commissions after the lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, returns from its July-August break, not only to examine the social security systems but also to develop reform proposals, said Reiche. She added that the reform of the social systems and the demographic imbalance is not solely an issue for the current government. "The challenge we are facing is that the so-called tipping point is getting closer, and we must therefore actively address the question of how we can combine different employment histories, labour demand, and immigration into such a good concept that we can maintain labour productivity at a high level in the future," she said. When asked whether the planned expansion of the mother's pension is still timely, Reiche said, "Measures that further burden the social security systems are indeed a challenge for our system." However, she noted that it is also primarily about individual workers. Criticism of pension proposal Reiche had sparked a broad debate with statements about increasing Germans' working life. German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil said on Wednesday that it was very clearly set out in the coalition negotiations that there would be no increase in the retirement age. He stated that calls "from the sidelines" do not help. Reiche on tour The minister visited the medium-sized family business Agathon in Essen, a world-leading manufacturer of chocolate moulds for large-scale industrial production. The company relocated its headquarters from Bottrop to Essen at the beginning of the year and invested €15 million ($17.2 million) in the construction of a new production hall. Prior to this, Reiche visited German polyurethane and polycarbonate producer Covestro in Leverkusen. Solve the daily Crossword
