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R.I. casino debate closed for now

RHODE ISLAND – As reported by the Providence Journal: "No new casino plans will be considered by the General Assembly next year, but lawmakers will take another look at port development at Quonset Point, House Speaker William J. Murphy said yesterday.

"'It's important for us, now that we're facing another tough budget, that we look at all areas of economic development in the state,' the West Warwick Democrat said in a phone interview. Quonset Point, he said, is a 'major asset of the state that's being underutilized.'

"Murphy, elaborating on statements he made during an interview on Channel 10 (WJAR-TV), said options for building something other than a container port at Quonset Point — perhaps a port for ships transporting machinery that do not fit into containers — will be explored by the House Finance Committee when legislators reconvene in January.

"…Murphy's proposal to resurrect the idea of developing a port at Quonset Point — a plan that former Gov. Lincoln C. Almond's administration had vigorously but unsuccessfully promoted — comes amid mounting pressure on lawmakers to find new sources of revenue. Lawmakers will return in January to face a projected $104.8- million budget deficit with their last major revenue proposal — a casino in Murphy's hometown — having died on Election Day…"

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