A Senate committee swiftly approved a bill backed by Senate leader Marc Basnight to loosen the state ban on sea walls.
Senate Bill 832, approved on a voice vote this morning, would allow the Coastal Resources Commission to approve seawalls to protect beaches and coastal property, Lynn Bonner reports.
Some communities are pushing for the structures to protect beaches and homes. But scientists warn that building walls to pile up sand on one side of a wall will cause erosion on the other side. The state environment agency, dozens of scientists, and environmental groups oppose the bill.
The Senate approved a similar measure two years ago, but the House did not vote on it.
Comments
Re: Sea wall bill sails through committee
April 29, 2009 - 11:26am — j1c2kpTotal agreement with mjjunk. Horrible legislation!
Shame on you Basnight.
Re: Sea wall bill sails through committee
April 29, 2009 - 11:08am — mjjunkThis is horrible legislation. The only thing that seawalls do is decrease the amount of public land available between the high water line and low water line. What this bill is doing is robbing every single state resident by taking away, over time, the areas in which we like to recreate.
NC Policy Watch covered this last year
April 29, 2009 - 10:02am — James_ProtzmanWith this excellent post by Mr. Pilkey.
Here's hoping the House doesn't vote on it again
April 29, 2009 - 9:10am — James_ProtzmanThe North Carolina Senate, Inc., will truly stop at nothing to protect Realtors and land development interests. Basnight appears to have outlived whatever usefulness he may once have had.
Don't let this sucker through the House, Joe!