Agronomy Professor Michael Sullivan ’75 is tapped to head the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management.
By John Pantalone ’71Photo by Nora Lewis
Before he became director of Rhode Island’s Department of Environmental Management (DEM) last April, W. Michael Sullivan had enjoyed a 25-year career in which he primarily supervised himself and his students in URI’s College of the Environment & Life Sciences.
Now he manages an agency with over 500 employees and 25 divisions covering everything from agricultural development to mosquito control, protection of delicate coastland to fishery regulation, air and water protection, and a rambling system of state parks.
Twelve-hour workdays have become the rule, with a 90-minute, round trip commute to Providence after years of six-minute trips to campus. Yet he insists this is “a dream job.”
“I sit with policymakers and elected officials and put science to practical use,” Sullivan said. “This is something I have always wanted. It’s where science and policy touch one another and work together.”
A 1975 URI graduate in plant and soil science, Sullivan joined the faculty in 1981 after a stint at the University of Nebraska, where he earned a Ph.D. in agronomy and taught for four years. In appointing him to the hot seat at DEM, Gov. Donald Carcieri praised Sullivan’s experience and scientific knowledge. “As an experienced public servant, Dr. Sullivan understands the importance of Rhode Island’s environment to our state’s economic future,” Carcieri said, referring to Sullivan’s four years as a state senator and more than a decade on the Richmond Town Council, where he serves as president.
His boss at CELS, Dean Jeffrey Seemann, said URI would miss him. “Mike is really knowledgeable about the issues. He has quietly been one of our most dedicated educators, and the Northeast is full of former students who owe much of their success to him.”
Admitting that he’s pressing to handle his local chores in addition to his busy DEM schedule, Sullivan said he’s eager to apply his knowledge about farming communities and state politics to DEM’s assorted business. “People are always surprised to hear we have over 600 farms in Rhode Island,” he said. “They’re growing food and ornamentals mostly, but they’re a key part of the state’s economy. Our nurseries are a $100-million a year industry. We have 7,000 acres of golf courses, and there are URI graduates working in all these areas.
“URI people pop up everywhere you look,” Sullivan added. “We have quite a few working here at DEM in every area: farm issues, development, pesticide regulation, water quality.”
DEM has had a contentious history over the years, often caught between industry and developers who feel regulations are too stringent and environmental advocates who feel the agency isn’t forceful enough in protecting precious resources, especially Narragansett Bay. Sullivan has a clear vision for environmental improvement and the political background of a negotiator.
In measured tones and deep voice, Sullivan says: “I’m a farmer myself. I know the challenges our farmers face. I also see the bigger picture for fisheries and bay protection. My challenge is to get everyone to see the environment as an investment in our future.”
Sullivan has visions of the upper bay improving so that urban swimming areas can be developed and island parks that will make bay recreation possible without having to drive to South County. “Gov. Carcieri has a desire to make the environment real for citizens, and we can do that by improving the quality of the bay, developing island parks, and making boat transportation available at India Point in Providence.”
Idyllic visions in Sullivan’s world require officials to hammer home simple but initially costly lessons. For instance, before this dream of island parks and urban swimming in the upper bay transpires, Rhode Islanders will have to accept a transformation in waste elimination, both industrial and residential. “We have 60,000 septic systems emitting nutrients where they shouldn’t be,” Sullivan says. “Here’s where the investment comes in. People have to replace these systems that malfunction or function poorly. We have to see this as a long-term investment, not a burden. The governor has submitted a bill that will move us in that direction. It is his commitment to a cleaner bay. It’s our job to convince elected officials and the public that it is more cost effective to replace these systems than to try to remove the nutrients from the bay.”
A native of North Attleboro, Mass., Sullivan has lived in South County not far from the Kingston Campus since he arrived here to teach. He tells a story about the limits of government that illustrates the development pressure on the region neighboring the campus. “One night when I was outside my house, a woman, who had recently moved from Cranston, was walking her dog, and she asked me why the town doesn’t have sidewalks or street lights in her neighborhood,” Sullivan recalled. “‘Well,’ I told her,‘the town can’t afford it.’
“She wanted to know how she could go about getting this done, and I told her it wouldn’t get done unless she was able to remove me from the council. I said to her, ‘I moved out here so I could see the stars at night, and we won’t be able to do that with all the glare from street lights everywhere.’ I don’t think she was too pleased, but it shows you that people are often concerned about their convenience, not about the character and quality of the environment. Our job is to get them to see the importance of maintaining the character and quality of our environment.”
One of his first tasks at DEM required him to sign a document declaring 110 acres of shellfish beds in the upper bay permanently closed because of pollution. Sullivan told his deputy, who had placed the document in front of him, that he didn’t want to sign it. “Let’s declare them temporarily closed,” Sullivan told him. “My point is: don’t give up on them. If we do this right, in 15 years, we could open them part of the time. In 20 years, we might have our urban beaches.”
John Pantalone is a lecturer in URI’s Department of Journalism.
