|
Home >
Legislative Tracker
> Inlet Stabilization Pilot Program
Coastal:
Inlet Stabilization Pilot Program
Our Position: oppose
Bill Number: S599
Sponsor: R.C. Soles Jr. (D-Brunswick, Columbus, Pender)
Legislative Session: 2008
Last year, the North Carolina Senate passed SB 599 Inlet Stabilization Pilot Project, which threatens to undo the state's longstanding ban on construction of seawalls, also known as terminal groins or jetties. The Sierra Club believes sound coastal management should be based on science, not politics, and the science on this issue is clear. Seawalls trap sand on one side -- protecting just the area behind the structure --while accelerating erosion down the beach. Building seawalls means paying for expensive "beach renourishment" forever. Unfortunately, proponents of lifting the ban are characterizing the project as an experiment rather than an unraveling of the state’s coastal policies. It is critical that North Carolina protect its legacy of publicly owned beaches and vibrant coastal communities and avoid making changes to state law that could potentially put all our shorelines at risk.
Status
Passed Senate, Referred to the House Commitee on Environment & Natural Resources
Action Needed
Contact your House Representative and members of the Commitee on Environment and Natural Resources.
Contact
Sierra Club Stanback Intern Serra Aktan at (919) 833-8467 for more information.
Background
North Carolina has prohibited hardened structures along beaches and inlets since 1985. The ban is the cornerstone of North Carolina's coastal policy and a model for the rest of the nation. More than 40 prominent coastal geologists in an open letter stated, "There is no debate…a structure placed at the terminus of a barrier island, near an inlet, will interrupt the natural sand bypass system…and cause negative impacts to adjacent islands."
|
