Frustrated landowners oppose the government's "managed retreat" strategy for dealing with the sea level rise

 February 06, 2023

By HNN Staff

HawaiiNewsNow: HONOLULU A coalition of owners of oceanfront properties is pleading with the state to arm them with more tools in their fight against beach erosion. They do this by citing improvements in erosion control technologies.

According to lawyer Bernie Bays, who represents the Shoreline Preservation Coalition, "there are many scientific approaches that are available that are proven to maintain the shoreline and the beaches."

Bays made his remarks last week during a hearing of the Senate Water and Land Committee.

"Seeing someone's house ruined by the waves is heartbreaking." More crucial, though, is the fact that when an ocean damages a house, the beach in front of that house is already gone.

The counties are putting policies into place, such as higher buffers for future coastline construction, as a result of the sea level rise surrounding Hawaii being predicted to increase by more than 3 feet over the next 80 years.

Owners, however, are not permitted to erect sea walls or other types of barriers.

Landowners argued that this "controlled withdrawal" was a bad idea.

"Allowing governments to enact rules that force owners to flee or prevent them from being able to reasonably defend or repair their property... is a formula for disaster," declared attorney Duane Fisher, who also represents property owners.

However, barriers like sea walls, according to state officials and climate change scientists, will obliterate the state's beaches.

"Nearly a quarter of the state's beaches have now sustained damage," the author writes. According to Chip Fletcher, dean of the University of Hawaii's School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, "if you want beaches in the future, we're going to have to allow erosion take happen and land loss take place."

The bill is opposed by all departments, according to Dawn Chang, chair of the Department of Land and Natural Resources.

She claimed that it would result in the advancement of private property rights at the expense of public trust assets.

In order to allow for additional discussion during current session, the Senate's Water and Land Committee opted to postpone the bill for the time being.

Under the terms of a Creative Commons licence, this article has been taken from HAWAII NEWS NOW. Go here to read the original article.