Pilike on Setbacks

"This may well be the last straw for North Carolina beaches":

With his usual flair for subtle understatement Dr. Orin Pilkey chimes in on the CRC setback controversy. Always good for prophesies on the death of NC beaches Pilkey really just wants everyone to get off them so he can bring his Duke classes down here in peace. He has gone from a bright observer of natural phenomena in his early works to a repetitive drone with little to add to the current debate on beach nourishment except no on should have built here.
His comments in this diatribe don't give the CRC credit for undertaking reviews of the very issues he chides them on and clearly overstates the case for problems in past projects.

ÃÂ�• Although the state has rules governing the quality of sand used for beach nourishment, spectacularly bad projects have occurred in the past five years.

ÃÂ�• Although the state has rules requiring that beach nourishment sand be taken from environmentally safe locations, the ebb tidal deltas of Bogue and Shallotte Inlets have been extensively mined. This will increase erosion along adjacent beaches; as it already has on Ocean Isle Beach next to Shallotte Inlet.

Anyway, he probably is right, allowing the reduction of setbacks generally in areas that have nourished beaches is just not a good idea. If there are special circumstances ththehe State has a variance procedure to allow address them.