Intergovernmental Policy Analysis Program (Rec. Gr. 128)

Series 1. Water and Sewer Projects
The Water and Sewer Projects series consists of the records of studies IPAP conducted for various agencies involved in the management of municipal and regional water and sewer systems, including the Narragansett Bay Commission, Blackstone Valley District Commission, Alexandria General Organization for Sanitary Drainage, State Water Resources Board, and the Providence Water Supply Board.

The series consists of sixteen projects, arranged chronologically by the completion date of each project, then alphabetically by subject thereunder. Several folders of project proposals and news clippings related to water and sewer issues are included at the end of the series.

Narragansett Bay Port Facilities Project
The Upper Narragansett Bay port facilities project examined organizations and agencies involved in the operation and development of common user commercial port facilities in the Bay. The project, conducted for the New England River Basins Commission, analyzed harbor management issues, uses and conflicts of use, and overlaps among institutional responsibilities in the operation of the port facilities. A final report, Institutional arrangements of commercial port facilities on Upper Narragansett Bay, was issued in 1981.

Providence Economic Impact Project
The Providence economic impact study examined the likely economic impact to Providence businesses from a user fee formula that had been developed to pay for the costs of the change in ownership of water treatment systems from the
City of Providence to the Narragansett Bay Commission in 1982. IPAP's final report, Impact of new sewer user fees on the Providence economic base, released in March 1983, examined short and long-term economic impacts, and made several policy recommendations.

Big River Institutional Analysis
The Big River institutional analysis examined statutory provisions, legislative authorization, and agencies and organizations that would be affected by the issuing of a revenue bond to finance the construction of the Big River Reservoir. The final report on the study, Financing the construction of the Big River Reservoir: an institutional analysis of the revenue bond option, was issued in May 1983.

Big River Utility Regulations Project
The Big River public utility regulations study analyzed the role and function of the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) in respect to issuing revenue bonds to finance construction of the Big River Reservoir. IPAP examined several points of interaction between the financing plan and the regulatory process of the PUC. The final report, Financing the construction of the Big River Reservoir: public utility regulations and the risk element of the revenue bond option, was issued in June 1984.

Rate Design Analysis Project
The Rate design analysis project consisted of the development of several alternative rate structures for the municipal users of water treatment facilities under the administrative control of the Narragansett Bay Water Quality Management District Commission (NBC). The project, conducted for NBC, used a quantity/quality approach to design rate structures for residential and industrial users that complied with EPA guidelines and met the needs of municipalities in the management area. The final report of the project, Narragansett Bay Commission rate design analysis: projections and allocation of costs, fee system design, and economic impact, was released in July 1985.

Providence Water Supply Board Project
The Providence Water Supply Board (PWSB) project, conducted for the Rhode Island Water Resources Board, examined the financial issues arising from the PWSB being placed under the jurisdiction of the Rhode Island Public Utilities Commission, while still remaining a department of the City of Providence. The project examined several aspects of the financial relationship, particularly the formal separation of the accounting the PWBS was required to give to both the City of Providence and the PUC. The final report of the study, Providence Water Supply Board as a public utility enterprise: an analysis of the financial relationship to the municipal corporation, was issued in December 1985.

Narragansett Bay Management Project
The Narragansett Bay management study, conducted for the Narragansett Bay Project and the Department of Environmental Management, described the institutional management structure governing Narragansett Bay. The study examined existing statutes, regulations, and case studies to identify the responsibilities of various local, state, and federal agencies involved in the governance of
Narragansett Bay. The study also assessed the role of scientific information in shaping policies and procedures for the management of the Bay. The final report of the study, Toward the management of Narragansett Bay: an institutional analysis, was released in January 1987.

Rate Design Review Project
The Rate design review project updated the Rate design analysis project of 1985. IPAP adjusted the rates presented in the original study to account for new data gathered for the Fiscal Year 1989 rate filing. The study was conducted using the same quantity/quality approach of the previous project. A final report, Narragansett Bay Commission rate design analysis: a review, update, and re-examination of projections, cost allocations, and fee system design, was issued in May 1987.

Statewide Water Supply System Project
The Statewide water supply system project, conducted for the Providence Water Supply Board (PWSB), began after the Rhode Island General Assembly established a legislative commission in 1985 to study and make recommendations on the establishment of a statewide water supply system. IPAP's project examined the jurisdictional and financial issues involved, as well as analyzing the role of the PWSB in a future statewide system. The final report, Providence Water Supply Board: an analysis of future options, was released in March 1988.

Providence Water Supply Board Policy and Strategic Planning Project
The Providence Water Supply Board policy and strategic planning project consisted of a series of advisory studies for the PWSB. The studies dealt with issues such as institutional structural options, joint billing of users with the Narragansett Bay Commission, and the formation of policies.

Rate Adjustment Design Project
The Rate adjustment design project reviewed revenue derived from the earlier IPAP rate designs for the Narragansett Bay Commission. IPAP made suggestions for adjustments in rates based on changes in system costs in preparation for a rate submittal to the Public Utilities Commission.

BVDC/NBC Project
The Blackstone Valley District Commission (BVDC)/Narragansett Bay Commission (NBC) project consisted of the preparation of a draft report identifying institutional issues regarding the relationship between the two agencies as they related to efforts to improve water quality in the state. The report was submitted to the BVDC/NBC Study Committee, which had been created by Governor Edward DiPrete to review the relationship between the two agencies in order to deal with issues of fiscal responsibility for capital improvement projects relating to pollution problems. Records include research materials following-up on the merger between the two organizations. IPAP's report, The relationship between NBC and the BVDC (check title), was released in November 1990.

Public Drinking Water Act Analysis
The Public Drinking Water Act analysis was conducted for the State Water Resources Board, and consisted of an identification of potential problems of interpreting provisions contained in the Rhode Island Public Drinking Water Protection Act of 1987. For the project, IPAP reviewed the legislative intent of the Act and its amendments, took an overview of the state's water supply systems, and examined the potential problems that could arise from the Act's provisions. The final report, An analysis of the Public Drinking Water Protection Act, released in March 1991, provided a recommended course of action for the problems.

Narragansett Bay Commission Tariff Evaluation Project
The Narragansett Bay Commission tariff evaluation project included several studies completed for the NBC: an evaluation of the use of drainage flow meters for different user classes, a feasibility analysis for the consolidation of the West Warwick Sewer Authority into the NBC, submittal of testimony for Public Utilities Commission rate filings, and an examination of various rate structures. The project included the issuing of a number of reports relating to the various studies.

Project Proposals

News Clippings
Consists of news clippings on water and sewer issues and organizations that do not date from the same time as related projects.

Series 2. Governor's Office Projects
The Governor's Office projects series consists of the records of ten studies the Intergovernmental Policy Analysis Program (IPAP) conducted for the Rhode Island Governor's Office, including the Governor's Policy Office and the Governor's Energy Office. Subjects covered in the series include science in government, economic planning, energy issues, and export trade. The series consists of research material, project administration records, and publications.

The series pertains to ten separate projects, arranged chronologically by the completion date of each project, then alphabetically by subject thereunder.

Science, Engineering, and Technology Project
The Science, engineering, and technology project evaluated the need for scientific and technical information by the Governor's policy staff in order to develop mechanisms that would allow policy analysts to have access to specialists on scientific topics. IPAP's report details procedures in which information is used in policy development in state government, and gives examples of resources not fully exploited at the time of the study. A final report, along with an appendix identifying Rhode Island and Northeast scientific resources, was published in May 1979.

Fuel Oil Conservation Project
The fuel oil conservation study, conducted for the Governor's Energy Office, examined policy options for the state relating to energy conservation through improvements to existing oil fired home heating units. The records for the project consist only of the final report, Conserving fuel oil in Rhode Island: residential heating systems, which was issued in June 1980.

Urban Economic Strategy Project
The Urban economic strategy study examined conditions affecting the development of an urban economic development policy for the state of Rhode Island. The report focused on the issues of infrastructure, manpower, capital formation, and urban services as they were affected by a shrinking tax base and increased need for municipal services, and attempted to delineate the roles of public and private action in development policies. The final report, Towards an urban economic strategy for Rhode Island, was released in September 1980.

Rural Development Project
The Rural development study examined Rhode Island state policies regarding rural development, focusing on issues such as land-use, maintenance of open space, development of small business and employment opportunities of appropriate scale, and adequacy of social services. The final report of the study, Rural development strategies for the State of Rhode Island, was released in December 1980.

Drought Project
The Drought project analyzed statutory, regulatory, and functional roles of various state and local governmental agencies relating to droughts and water shortages in the state. IPAP examined drought management practices in other states, and made recommendations for Rhode Island based on existing statutes and legislation. The final report, Drought in Rhode Island: a preliminary management study for water shortages, was issued in July 1981.

Energy and Economic Development Project
The Energy and economic development study analyzed the effect of rising energy prices on the economic development of Rhode Island. The costs of various sources of energy were examined in order to provide policy options for future industrial development in the state. The final report of the study, Energy prices and their impact on economic development in the State of Rhode Island, was published in September 1981.

Energy Conservation Project
The Energy conservation study consists of an analysis of building plans and sites throughout Rhode Island to determine the extent of compliance by local governments with the Building Officials and Code Administrators International basic building code for energy conservation. The study attempted to identify existing problems in the system in order to design effective policies for energy conservation. A final report, Energy conservation and building code compliance in Rhode Island, was issued in November 1981.

Export Trade Project
The Export trade study examined the potential for export trading, particularly in small and medium-sized businesses, as a means of developing the Northeast regional economy. The study reviewed existing and proposed legislation, and addressed the main components necessary for the establishment of a regional export trading policy. The final report of the study, Towards a northeast regional policy for export trade, was issued in November 1981.

Outer Continental Shelf Project
The
Outer Continental Shelf study assessed policy options for the State of Rhode Island to protect coastal zones in the face of intensified efforts by the federal government to develop oil and gas resources in the Outer Continental Shelf and
Georges Bank region. IPAP conducted a cost/benefit analysis of economic and environmental effects on the State's vital interests. A final report, The Outer Continental Shelf: the development of state policies, was issued in March 1983.