No taxpayer subsidies for Cap'n Sams' land

We, the undersigned residents of Kiawah and Seabrook Islands, are unalterably opposed to the efforts of Congressman Henry Brown(R-SC) to facilitate the construction of homes on the spit of Kiawah Island land adjacent to Cap'n Sams' inlet. This environmentally fragile and ecolgically important piece of ocean shoreline should never be developed.

A.  Homes should not be built on an ocean front subject to constant erosion and rebuilding by tides and weather.

B.  In the past, this spit of land has been cut off from the rest of Kiawah Island by storms and erosion.  It would require steel and concrete revetments to counteract the natural action of tides and weather.

If homes were built here, Congressional action would be required to permit the potential owners of these multi-million dollar homes to participate in the federal flood insurance pool.  Directly contrary to the intent of the Coastal Barrier Resource Systems Act, adding such homes to the federal flood insurance risk pool will increase the likelihood of catastrophic loss at the ultimate expense of all taxpayers, who subsidize this federal insurance.

Recent experience just up the coast in Wild Dunes (Isle of Palms, SC)illustrates the major risk to all taxpayers of the construction of high-value residences on ocean shoreline subject to constant attack by wind and erosion.

The pending bill, H.6389, that would add this land to the federal flood insurance pool,should be permanently shelved.