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Warren council endorses "Blue Wave" coastal bond to fund shoreline resilience
Summary
The council unanimously passed a resolution supporting House Bill 81 51, the Blue Wave Bond for Coastal Preparedness Act, which would authorize up to $100 million in state general obligation bonds to support shoreline stabilization, flood mitigation and habitat restoration if approved by voters.
The Warren Town Council voted to endorse the Blue Wave Bond for Coastal Preparedness (House Bill 81 51) after a presentation from planner Paula Castro (speaker 18) on how coastal resilience investments could be used locally.
Castro described the bond proposal as a statewide referendum authorizing up to $100,000,000 in general obligation bonds subject to voter approval that could fund shoreline stabilization, flood mitigation, habitat restoration and related infrastructure. She said such funding would allow towns to leverage federal matches and finance costly projects, and noted that many climate‑resilience projects require engineering and matching funds that small towns struggle to provide.
Councilors amended the resolution to include the senate companion (senate bill 3181) and then approved the amended resolution. "The pros for the town of Warren far outweigh any cons," Castro said, urging the council to send the town's support to state leaders. Council members said they would welcome state investments that could protect historic districts, working waterfronts and municipal infrastructure.
The resolution directs that a copy be transmitted to the Rhode Island General Assembly, the governor and relevant agencies as an expression of Warren's official position.
