Lt. Governor candidate on beach access

State Sen. Gary Hooser has a good blog post on shoreline access and preservation. To my knowledge, he's the first and only candidate for Lt. Governor who has publicly made this part of his campaign platform.

Moreover, he's actually tried to get laws passed that would help protect public access. And Kauai, Gary's home island, has the most forward-thinking shoreline setback rules of all the counties. Oahu and the other islands should follow their lead.

Here's a link to his post and excerpt:

On shoreline protection and the right to public access
Protecting and preserving our shorelines requires effective and strict integrated shoreline management policies that reach all islands statewide. Presently, Kaua‘i proudly holds the strongest and most prudent shoreline setback for structures, 110 feet from the watermark during a full moon high tide. DLNR officials, working in coordination with the UH Sea Grant Program, estimate the annual shoreline erosion rate at roughly one foot per year. Most homes are rated at a lifetime of 70 years, which under the current state standard setback of only 40 feet means they are likely to be threatened by erosion in coming decades. Though variances are available, our state would be wise to follow Kauai’s lead on this issue and improve shoreline setback distances in all counties...

To read his complete post, please go here:

http://garyhooser.livejournal.com/37609.html