NC coastal panel to reconsider ban on sand jetties

NEW BERN, N.C. -- A state panel that oversees coastal construction policies holds its first hearing as it studies whether to start allowing jetties that block the movement of sand. The Coastal Resources Commission meets Monday in New Bern. The session at the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Office is open to the public. The General Assembly directed the commission to study using what some call terminal groins as erosion controls. The commission has banned such structures since 1985. The structures would run perpendicular to the shore and close to a tidal inlet to catch sand, keeping the shoreline intact and preventing the inlet from clogging. Environmental groups argue the groins are a bad idea that will encourage risky waterfront building. (Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)