The Boston Globe is following the Nantucket Current in reporting on another of the countless casualties of coastal erosion caused by our GHG-supercharged climate. Such reports have become common place over the past several years. Tragically, implementing meaningful coastal resilience solutions in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts continues to be virtually impossible because state regulations drafted in the 1980s era of "let nature take its course" stand in the way of nature-based resilience projects while they are heralded elsewhere.
A handful of bills about resilience are pending in the Massachusetts legislature. Even collectively they don't scratch the surface of what is needed to do what is necessary. The science of coastal resilience has made great leaps in the past twenty years. Some of the leaders in the field live right here in Massachusetts. If this summer is teaching us anything, it is that we are running out of time to protect our coastline against the crisis we've created. We need Governor Healey and the Legislature to bring our laws governing coastal resilience into the 21st century before it is too late.
The Nantucket Board of Health issued an emergency condemnation order for a home at 21 Sheep Pond Road last week, citing the precarious position of the structure on the beach and violations of the state sanitary code. Encroaching waters have stripped away the land beneath the home, leaving much of the structure’s foundation exposed and its deck collapsed on the sand. The dwelling now protrudes from a grassy dune and leans to the side with the ocean mere steps away. Advertisement The property has lost approximately 35 feet of dune since the last measurement in November and is now located entirely within the coastal dune and beach, according to Morgan Sayle, a coastal resources technician, who inspected the property on June 30.
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/07/24/science/nantucket-beach-home-erosion/
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