Allows the department of environmental management to acquire established foot paths by eminent domain in order to provide public access to streams, rivers, lakes and ponds.

Plain-English Summary

This bill would give Rhode Island's Department of Environmental Management (DEM) a new legal tool to secure public access to the state's waterways. Specifically, it would allow the DEM to use a process called eminent domain — the government's power to acquire private property for public use, with payment to the owner — to take ownership of established foot paths that lead to streams, rivers, lakes, and ponds. The key word here is "established," meaning these would be paths that already exist and have been used, not brand-new trails the government wants to create from scratch.

This bill would primarily affect private landowners whose property includes foot paths that connect to public waterways. If the DEM determines that a particular path is important for giving the public access to a body of water, the agency could legally acquire that path even if the landowner does not wish to sell. As with all eminent domain actions, the landowner would be entitled to fair compensation for the property taken. The bill would also benefit members of the general public — such as anglers, swimmers, hikers, and kayakers — who want to reach rivers, lakes, and ponds that may currently be difficult to access because the routes cross private land.

It is worth noting that eminent domain is a significant legal power, and this bill expands its use into a specific new area: foot path acquisition for recreational and environmental access purposes. The bill has passed the Senate and is currently under review in the House Judiciary Committee.