Washed out to sea
Subtitle: how Congress prioritizes beach pork over national needs
By: Tom Coburn
Contributors: United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations
Publisher: Office of Senator Tom Coburn, M.D.
Published: 2009
Place of publication: Washington, DC
Language: eng
Number of pages: 43
Subjects: Coastal zone management; Levees; Beaches; Flood control; Government policy
Description: Senator Tom Coburn details just how beachfront communities, D.C. lobbyists, and Members of Congress have teamed up to "save" beaches with federally funded sand -- an effort that always results in additional requests for sand projects in the future. While bridges and levies collapse, Congress is earmarking funds to replenish beaches, subsidizing risky flood insurance, and bailing out homeowners who chose to build their houses on sand. These efforts, ironically, have had the unintended effect of inviting more people to develop and live in flood-prone coastal areas, thus creating and sustaining a vicious cycle of development and dependency.
Notes: "United States Senate, 111th Congress, Congressional Oversight & Investigation Report,"

"May 2009."

Also available on the Internet from the Senate web site. Address as of 12/03/14: http://coburn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?a=Files.Serve&File_id=e12c6935-f034-4d9e-b7b3-093cf98a4ff9; current access via LC handle.