New Law is Part of Governor’s Efforts to Support Affected Tiverton Neighborhood

Governor Donald L. Carcieri today joined residents of a North Tiverton neighborhood contaminated by waste to sign a law that will allow them to receive low-interest home repair loans. Residents of contaminated areas like the one in Tiverton have been unable to qualify for home equity loans or sell their homes because of the contamination issues.

Under the new law, the Environmentally Compromised Home Opportunity loan program will enable residents who have lost significant value in their homes because of contamination issues to apply for low-interest loans up to $25,000 through Rhode Island Housing. Lending institutions typically refuse to issue loans to homeowners who live in areas that have been affected by contamination.

Governor Carcieri signed the legislation, House Bill 8259 and Senate Bill 3174, at the Bay Street home of Gail Corvello. She is the president of the neighborhood group, Environmental Neighborhood Action Committee of Tiverton (ENACT), which has been fighting to have the responsible parties clean up the contaminated soil. The Governor was joined by U.S. Senator Lincoln D. Chafee; the bills’ sponsors, Rep. Joseph Amaral of Tiverton and Sen. Walter Felag of Warren; and neighbors from the North Tiverton neighborhood.

“No one in this situation should have to dip into their personal savings or use up their retirement funds to make major repairs to their homes,” Governor Carcieri said. “This legislation is yet another step forward in our ongoing efforts to remediate this neighborhood. We will continue to work with you until the responsible parties do the right thing.”

Governor Carcieri has supported the efforts of the Tiverton residents and ENACT to force New England Gas to clean up the contamination, which was discovered four years ago and has been linked to a former gas plant owned by the company. Two years ago, he met with members of ENACT in Tiverton to discuss the contamination issues.

Governor Carcieri has provided about $30,000 in state funds so ENACT could acquire their own technical assistance and expert evaluations of the neighborhood’s contamination issues. He also intervened with the state Division of Public Utilities to ensure that the needs of the residents be considered as part of the sale of New England Gas to National Grid. The Governor wants to ensure that the sale does not impair the clean up of contaminated soil in North Tiverton.

Gail Corvello thanked Governor Carcieri for his work to help the residents. “This law provides a great deal of relief to the residents of this neighborhood. It shows the Governor’s genuine concern and support for this issue and for that I’m really grateful,” she said.

The Governor said the new law will bring some measure of relief to the affected residents of North Tiverton and other neighborhoods that may face similar situations. He thanked Representative Amaral, Senator Felag, and Rhode Island Housing for their work on this issue.

Mike Milito, the deputy assistant director of Rhode Island Housing, attended the signing ceremony on behalf of the organization. "This is early in the process. We don't yet know the scope of the problem or the limits on our ability to help. But we are ready to work together with the town and the residents to ensure these homes are healthy,” Milito said. “We salute Governor Carcieri, Representative Amaral and Senator Felag for giving us the tools to help."

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