FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 7, 2007
Shoreline Change Advisory Committee to meet
CHARLESTON – A Shoreline Change Advisory Committee will hold its first introductory meeting at the Inn at Middleton Place in Summerville Sept. 14, 2007 at 9:30 a.m. the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control reported today.
“As an integral part of DHEC’s multi-year Shoreline Change Initiative, the formation of the Shoreline Change Advisory Committee is a key effort,” said Carolyn R. Boltin, DHEC’s deputy commissioner for Ocean and Coastal Resource Management. “The committee will begin to organize existing shoreline research, identify research priority needs and explore policy options to ensure the long-term sustainability of our state’s coastal resources.”
Boltin said that the committee is comprised of a broad cross-section of coastal stakeholders and includes scientists, coastal managers, municipal officials, developers, conservationists and legal professionals.
DHEC is organizing the Shoreline Change Advisory Committee to address urgent coastal issues including erosion, beach renourishment, shoreline retreat, local and state beachfront planning and estuarine shoreline management.
“South Carolina faces a growing challenge in balancing the protection of environmental and economic resources along our shorelines,” said Braxton Davis, director of OCRM’s science and policy division. “It has been nearly 20 years since the adoption of the Beachfront Management Act. It’s time to take a step back and evaluate how regulations and policies have addressed coastal challenges and how new scientific research and technologies can guide future policy decisions.”
Davis said the committee’s work will provide a valuable technical foundation for a future “Blue Ribbon” panel which may formulate specific policy recommendations.
The agenda for the Sept. 14 meeting includes an introductory overview of the South Carolina Coastal Zone Management program as well as a discussion on developing committee process and work plans. Additional meetings will be held on a monthly basis and the committee is scheduled to conclude its work by Dec. 2008. Public comments will be received at the beginning and end of the advisory committee’s progress. Written comments will be accepted throughout the process.
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For further information:
Dan Burger (843) 953-0251
E-mail -- burgerdj@dhec.sc.gov
Thom Berry (803) 898-3885
E-mail -- berrytw@dhec.sc.gov
BNR1796