Rhode Island § 23-66-5 - Comprehensive Health Risk Assessments

§ 23-66-5. Review and approval of assessment.

(a)(1) The proponent shall submit the assessment to the directors, or their designees of the state department of health and department of environmental management for joint review. The department of health, in its review, shall consider existing studies and data deemed relevant by the department of health regarding public health within a radius of the proposed facility as designated by the department of environmental management in accordance with § 23-66-3(2). These data and studies shall be considered in the joint review, and the determination made part of the public record. No air permit shall be issued by the department of environmental management until DEM and the department of health concur that health and environmental risks have been reasonably minimized to the extent practicable under all relevant circumstances.

(2) The assessment shall be published by the department of environmental management and accessible to the public.

(b) There shall be a public comment period of not less than sixty (60) days, commencing with notice, both in the form of a legal notice and a press release, in at least one newspaper with a statewide circulation of at least one hundred thousand (100,000), and in local newspapers within the assessment area printed in English and other appropriate languages specific to the assessment area.

(c) There shall be, within seven (7) days of the end of the public comment period, a public hearing conducted by the department of environmental management at a location within a two (2) mile radius of the proposed facility. A representative of the department of health shall be present at the hearing. Notice of the public hearing shall be conducted according to the same terms required of the public comment period, as described in this section.