Challenging a state agency's inappropriate wetland decision.

• Position: Rhode Island

After a developer proposed to build a house on land that is 97 percent wetland, CLF jumped into the fray, calling widespread attention to a decision by the Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) to approve the proposal. CLF filed a motion seeking reversal of the decision, calling the vote indefensible. The firestorm of negative publicity toward CRMC and the developer caused the developer to retract his proposal and donate the land to the town of Narragansett.

CLF, however, is concerned about the larger implications of CRMC's decision to approve the project. CLF has called for legislative oversight hearings to ensure that CRMC's decisions are made on the basis of fact, and with Rhode Island's environmental integrity at the center of the...