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2/7/2025
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Cortvriend named Clean Water Legislator of the Year
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 STATE HOUSE – Rep. Terri Cortvriend has been honored by the Rhode Island Clean Water Association as its Clean Water Legislator of the Year for her legislative work to prevent water contamination and adapt for climate change.
The award was presented Feb. 6 at the organization’s Legislative Summit at the State House.
The organization applauded Representative Cortvriend (D-Dist. 72, Portsmouth, Middletown) for her work to ban polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a group of chemicals that has been found to cause detrimental health impacts including decreased fertility, developmental delays in children and cancer. Ubiquitous in products ranging from cosmetics to frying pan coatings to firefighting foam, these long-lasting “forever chemicals” move quickly through water and have been identified in water supplies throughout Rhode Island.
RICWA also pointed to her efforts to address the effects of climate change.
“This recognition is very meaningful to me, because I share the Rhode Island Clean Water Association’s sense of urgency when it comes to protecting our environment, and our water in particular. The effects of our many decades of industrialization and pollution and our changing climate are upon us, and we need swift, decisive change to protect our homes, our resources and our lives. I thank RICWA for its advocacy, because we have no future without safe, clean water,” said Representative Cortvriend.
Representative Cortvriend worked collaboratively for years to achieve passage in 2022 of legislation prohibiting PFAS in food packaging, which took effect this year. Last year, legislation she sponsored was enacted to phase out PFAS in most consumer products sold or manufactured in Rhode Island beginning in 2027. That law also prohibited PFAS from firefighting foam, which has been a source of PFAS water contamination in Rhode Island, starting Jan. 1, 2025. Representative Cortvriend was also a cosponsor of the landmark Act on Climate in 2020, and has worked on numerous climate change mitigation and resiliency efforts. She currently leads a special House commission studying potential solutions for climate change mitigation in Rhode Island, and in 2020 cofounded the Aquidneck Island Climate Caucus with Rep. Lauren Carson (D-Dist. 75, Newport).
“For the past five years, RICWA has been acknowledging someo
ne from the General Assembly who has made significant contributions to improve our water environment. This year recognizes someone who understands that source reduction is important and climate change is impacting our water resources. We thank Representative Cortvriend for her hard work to advance important water policies for Rhode Island,” said RICWA President Peter J. Connell.
Established in 1952, the Rhode Island Clean Water Association is a nonprofit organization created to promote the advancement of knowledge concerning the nature, collection, treatment, and disposal of domestic and industrial wastewaters.
IN PHOTO: Rep. Terri Cortvriend, left, with Clean Water Association Vice President Janine Burke-Wells and House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi after the Clean Water Legislator of the Year presentation.
For more information, contact:
Meredyth R. Whitty, Publicist
State House Room 20
Providence, RI 02903
(401) 222-1923
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