This article was originally published on ASBPA.
“Natural protective coastal infrastructure, such as beaches, dunes and wetlands, create and sustain U.S. jobs, protect public resources and private property, and drive the U.S. economy. Congress would be wise to invest in these resources (and the science that supports them) despite the administration’s budget blueprint that leaves U.S. coasts vulnerable by cutting vital programs and underfunding the science that protects lives, property and ecological resources.
Countless examples such as Superstorm Sandy and Hurricane Matthew make a convincing case that by investing millions of dollars now in coastal protection and resilience, the federal government will save billions of dollars in storm and flood damage later. Similarly, maintaining a reasonable federal investment in coastal science and technology offers a great return on investment through better coastal management and more effective response to natural disasters and manmade environmental emergencies.
Restoring and maintaining our nation’s first line of defense against coastal storms and flooding is a job bonanza. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA) estimates that coastal restoration creates or maintains 17-33 jobs for every million dollars spent[1]. These are jobs at all levels of the economy: commercial fishermen and charter boat captains, lifeguards and hotel workers, dredging crews and coastal small business employees, construction workers and engineers.
Furthermore, healthy coasts drive the coastal economy – beaches alone generate $225 billion to the national economy[2] – and with 50% of Americans living near a coast, the coastal economy is America’s economy. The protection that beaches, dunes, and wetlands provide, together with the understanding of how these systems work, ensures that critical public infrastructure and private property are protected and people are kept out of harm’s way during hurricanes and other coastal disasters…”
Read on at: ASBPA.
