DEM TO HOLD PUBLIC HEARING ON PROPOSED CHANGES TO GALILEE OPERATING REGULATIONS

PROVIDENCE - The Department of Environmental Management will hold a public hearing on Monday, January 8 on proposed revisions to regulations governing the Port of Galilee and the berthing management system that reflect changes in commercial fishing industry operations.

Working in collaboration with the fishing community, DEM has drafted proposals that address where and how bait is stored on the piers; designate a lobster pot "power-wash" area; and designate an immediate loading and unloading zone along the bulkhead. The proposals would also allow the Island High Speed Ferry to dock at the end of State Pier 3 South when the tour boat Southland is not in port. The proposed regulations also modify requirements for charter boat berth permits to be renewed. Under the proposed regulations, full time and seasonal designations would be eliminated and all charter boats would be required to make 30 fishing trips a season to be eligible for a berth permit.

Copies of the proposed regulations are available at DEM’s Division of Coastal Resources at 301 Great Island Road in Narragansett, or by calling the Division at 783-5551. They are also available on DEM’s website at www.dem.state.ri.us/gail2000.pdf in Adobe Acrobat format.

The public hearing will be held at 3 p.m. on January 8 in the conference room at Narragansett Town Hall at 25 Fifth Avenue in Narragansett. The meeting site is handicapped-accessible. Individuals requesting interpreter services for the hearing impaired should notify DEM’s Division of Coastal Resources at least 48 hours in advance of the meeting. DEM's TDD number is 222-4462.

Written comments will be accepted at the hearing, or at DEM's Division of Coastal Resources, 301 Great Island Road, Narragansett, RI 02882, until 4 p.m. on Monday, January 8, 2001.

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