Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 524, a bill I introduced to amend the Coastal Barrier Resources Act to create an exemption for certain shoreline borrow sites. This legislation, which passed the House Natural Resources Committee unanimously, resolves an issue for a handful of coastal communities that have unique and longstanding beach nourishment project borrow sites. For background, the Coastal Barrier Resources Act of 1982 created certain protected coastal zones, known as CBRA zones, along the Atlantic, Gulf, and coasts of the Great Lakes. Under that law, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service prohibits Federal investment in these areas due to the risk associated with coastal natural disasters. While this is intended to protect human life and taxpayer dollars, in a few select cases for which this bill is focused, a recent revision of implementation has inadvertently created uncertainty for these longstanding projects necessary to keep these coastal communities safe during storms. For example, and as has already been cited, Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, which is in my district, has been utilizing sand from Masonboro Inlet for their beach nourishment project for more than 50 years. The natural erosion of sand from the beach is guided by the current and continually deposits south of the beach in Masonboro Inlet. Every 4 years, just like clockwork, the U.S.…”