| R 340 |
| 2025 -- S 1117 Enacted 06/03/2025 |
| S E N A T E R E S O L U T I O N |
| STRONGLY REPROVING THE UNITED STATES COAST GUARD'S PLAN TO REMOVE 38 BUOYS FROM RHODE ISLAND WATERS |
Introduced By: Senator Linda L. Ujifusa |
| Date Introduced: May 29, 2025 |
| WHEREAS, The maritime industry in Rhode Island is a significant economic driver, |
| generating billions of dollars in sales and employing thousands. The Rhode Island maritime |
| industry and boating safety are conclusively intertwined; and |
| WHEREAS, Boating safety is a major focus for our State, which relies on safe navigation |
| and maritime practices, particularly with the prevalence of recreational boating and the potential |
| for accidents; and |
| WHEREAS, Rhode Island is home to about 400 aids to navigation (AtoN), including |
| roughly three dozen coastal buoys that would be eliminated under the U.S. Coast Guard's recent |
| proposal which is the result of a federal shift toward using more modernized navigation systems |
| like GPS, electronic charts and smartphone apps and fewer physical markers; and |
| WHEREAS, There are approximately 40,000 boats registered in Rhode Island, with |
| many thousands more visiting the Ocean State each year; and |
| WHEREAS, Many of these are smaller vessels with less technologically equipped |
| boaters who lack the type of equipment essential to navigate safely without guidance from AtoN, |
| particularly in congested waterways like Narragansett Bay where aids to navigation, including |
| buoys, are crucial for safe boating; and |
| WHEREAS, In addition, complete reliance on electronic navigation systems is risky, |
| especially in areas with complex waterways and changing conditions; and |
| WHEREAS, Aids to navigation (AtoN), including buoys and markers, serve various |
| purposes, including marking channels, hazards, restricted areas, and special markings like traffic |
| separations, and are crucial for safe navigation; and |
| WHEREAS, "The maritime industry in Rhode Island, particularly related to navigation |
| and boating safety, is vital, with the U.S. Coast Guard and the Rhode Island Department of |
| Environmental Management (DEM) playing key roles"; and |
| WHEREAS, The Coast Guard's goal and purpose needs to be cognizant and guided by |
| the views and generational knowledge of Rhode Island boaters who live and sail the Ocean State's |
| waters; now, therefore be it |
| RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island hereby urgently requests the |
| U.S. Coast Guard to retain and maintain the 38 buoys, currently considered for removal from |
| Rhode Island waters, in order to ensure the safety of both recreational boaters and commercial |
| traffic; and be it further |
| RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to |
| transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to members of the Rhode Island Congressional |
| Delegation, Terry Gray, Director of the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, |
| Rear Admiral Michael E. Platt, Commander, First Coast Guard District, and Captain Clinton J. |
| Prindle, Chief of Staff of the Coast Guard First District. |
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| LC002999 |
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