The general assembly finds: that the public health, safety, and welfare are being jeopardized by the contamination of drinking water by pesticides; that suitable remedies may be beyond the immediate financial resources of the persons affected; and that the public interest would be served by a reduction in the quantity of chemical pesticides used in this state. The purposes of this chapter are:
(1) to establish a fund to provide both emergency relief for pesticide contamination and financial support for pest control methods that reduce or eliminate reliance upon chemical pesticides, and(2) to establish a pesticide relief advisory board to make recommendations to the director of the department of environmental management regarding the fund, and to advise the director on pesticides and public health dangers associated with their use in this state.R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-25.2-1