State builds barrier islands to protect, if even for a short time
Ray Lehmann thinks it’s all a waste of money. He’s an expert in environmental finance for a conservative public policy group called R Street.
“Rebuilding dunes and doing beach renourishment — at the margin it can have some impact on preventing major storm loss, but it’s relatively minor and it is really not an effective use of money,” says Lehmann.
The state will pay $118 million to rebuild Whiskey Island. Lehmann says that money could be better spent,
“We think a better approach is to get used to the fact that sea level rise is real and erosion is unavoidable.” He says the state could rebuild wetlands further inland, or move people out of harm’s way.