'Sand Taxes' Divide Beachfront Communities

As federal and state funds dry up, beachfront communities seek their own solutions to protect against coastal erosion and storms.

1 minute read

November 6, 2007, 12:00 PM PST

By Abhijeet Chavan @http://twitter.com/legalaidtech


"...taxpayers and environmentalists have argued against spending hundreds of millions of public dollars for projects that often wash away after a few strong storms...This has left Atlantic and Gulf Coast communities to develop their own solutions, often imposing what are referred to as sand taxes."

"...Do we want to build shoreline protection projects as a nation, or don't we? And if the nation doesn't want to pay for it, then who should?"

"Because smaller communities often have higher flood risks, less political clout or private beaches, they are increasingly being forced to pay for new sand themselves."

Friday, November 2, 2007 in The New York Times

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