Rhode Island Bill To Ban Invasive Plants Passes Through General Assembly

PROVIDENCE, RI — The Rhode Island legislators passed a bill to ban the sale of invasive plants.

The bill was sponsored by sponsored by state Rep. Jennifer Boylan, D-Barrington and East Providence, and state Sen. Mark McKenney, D-Warwick.

“Invasive plants are a scourge on the biodiversity and natural beauty of Rhode Island, and between the work of our land trusts, the Department of Environmental Management and concerned community members across the state, we’ve put a lot of time and money into pulling them out of the ground. But it is a lot easier if they never go into the ground in the first place,” Boylan said in media release.

“Rhode Island is an outlier in the United States—46 other states restrict the sale and distribution of invasive plants—and it is past time we ban the sale and distribution of terrestrial invasive plants,” Boylan said.

The proposed law "bans the sale, importation, distribution, introduction or dispersal of any species of non-native invasive plants in Rhode Island. The director of the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management will design and publish the rules and regulations that would govern the ban, as well as maintain a list of all prohibited plants. The ban will not go into effect until these regulations are implemented," the release said.

"DEM is already tasked with classifying and regulating our invasive aquatics, and there’s no reason they couldn’t capably expand those efforts to cover all invasive plants in Rhode Island,” McKenney said in the release.

“Invasive species are an issue that negatively impacts every aspect of our environment," McKenney said. "A sensible list of plants that we keep out of Rhode Island is an important first step in preserving the beauty and natural diversity of our state.”

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