August 31, 2016 — The following was released by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management:
New regulations, implementing Rhode Island’s third phase (aka “Bin 3”) of the three-phase federal groundfish disaster assistance program, took effect on August 24, 2016.
For this Phase Three (“Bin 3”) Program, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM) will disburse $705,658 in federal aid to provide additional assistance to those engaged in the Rhode Island groundfish community who were significantly affected by the groundfish disaster, namely:
(1) Current holders of federal permits [as of August 24, 2016] for the 43 commercial vessels, home-ported in Rhode Island [as of August 24, 2016], that received federal aid under the Bin 1 program;
(2) Captains and crew who worked aboard any of the 43 vessels and received federal aid under the Bin 2 program; and
(3) Captains and crew who worked aboard any of the 43 commercial vessels, meet the Bin 2 eligibility standards, but did not apply for consideration under the Bin 2 program.
Updated information on the Phase Three Program, including the regulations for the program, can be found at the DEM webpage titled “Groundfish Industry Economic Assistance and Development Programs,” which is here: http://www.dem.ri.gov/programs/fish-wildlife/marine-fisheries/groundfish-assistance.php.
For those individuals falling under the first two categories listed above, the only requirement will be to complete and return a Pre-Approval Form, which RIDEM is sending to all qualified individuals this week (week of August 29, 2016) via certified mail. The forms must be returned within thirty (30) days of receipt. If you feel that you are qualified under either of the first two categories, and do not receive a Pre-Approval Form by September 9, 2016, contact Robert Ballou at Robert.Ballou@dem.ri.gov, or 401-222-4700, ext. 4420.
For those captains and crew falling under the third category listed above, the 30-day application process will commence on September 1, 2016 and run through September 30, 2016. Application forms are available here: http://www.dem.ri.gov/pubs/regs/regs/fishwild/bin3capt.pdf. All completed applications must be postmarked by September 30, 2016, or hand-delivered by 4 pm on September 30, 2016.
For questions or further information on any aspect of the Phase Three Program, contact Robert Ballou at Robert.Ballou@dem.ri.gov, or 401-222-4700, ext. 4420.