Every day, Kahana resident Spencer Schmerling is reminded that the shoreline fronting his condominium is shrinking.
“Safety risks are increasing, and recent sand loss and seawall damage shows just how serious this has become,” Schmerling told state lawmakers via Zoom during a public hearing in Honolulu on Thursday. “This is not a single property issue. It’s a regional crisis.”
State lawmakers are considering a pair of bills that would help property owners affected by coastal erosion, but they face opposition from state agencies concerned the measures would put natural resources and public beaches at risk.
House Bill 1846 would create regional shoreline mitigation districts where properties would be required to create their own coastal erosion and sediment management plans. That would then make it easier to review county and state permits for shoreline work…