Rhode Island Current — Number of new CRMC members to come this year: 7. Number of nominees picked by McKee: Zero
The Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council has faced years of criticism for controversial decisions and recurring vacancies, prompting advocates to call for the council to be eliminated. (Photo by Janine L. Weisman/Rhode Island Current)
March 11, 2026
By Nancy Lavin — Frustrated coastal advocates renew calls to nix politically appointed council
Heather Low’s application to serve on the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) opens with a letter crediting her grandfather, a retired Navy veteran and avid boater, and childhood summers spent along the Kickemuit River in Warren, for her lifelong love for fishing and conservation.
Low, 51, of Coventry, has a bachelor’s degree in environmental science. She’s active in the Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association, and, since May 2025, has also served on the CRMC’s Fishermen’s Advisory Board, representing recreational anglers in the agency’s negotiations with offshore wind project developers.
Low wants to join the politically appointed full council to share her perspective as a conservationist and angler.
She sent in her application the day before Thanksgiving. Since then?
“I’ve heard nothing,” Low said in an interview Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the March 1 deadline for Gov. Dan McKee to name seven new members for the state coastal resources panel passed without any appointments or even public mention of prospective candidates.
Olivia DaRocha, a spokesperson for McKee’s office, said the process is “underway,” but did not offer details in an emailed response Wednesday.
A 2025 law mandating new council members aims to bring expertise and fresh blood to the volunteer panel while solving a quorum problem resulting from recurring vacancies. Most of the panel’s 10 members do not have professional experience in coastal matters, which has led to criticism when they make decisions that contradict recommendations by the agency’s expert staff.
Fed up with the lack of action in revitalizing the council, advocates are reigniting calls to get rid of the appointed council and hand decision-making power to the agency’s staff.
“The House’ 2025 bill did not fix what was badly broken — the Council,” Topher Hamblett, executive director of Save the Bay, said in a March 5 statement. “Even if the most highly qualified people were appointed, they would be operating in a structure that is inefficient, lacks accountability, and is ill-equipped to deal with the threats and challenges facing Rhode Island’s coastal communities. It is time to do away with the Council and all of the politics that go with it.”
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