Introduction
Hurricane Opal sheared off a dune in 1995, leaving this beachfront house in Florida perilously close to the water. (Photo Credit: Bill Kaczor, Associated Press)
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By early in the next century, 75 percent of all Americans will live within 80 miles of an ocean or the Great Lakes. The lure of living close to water has spurred explosive growth in resorts from Ocean City, Md., to North Carolina's Outer Banks. But most of the building is on fragile spits of land prone to washing away in major storms. That increases the chance of a catastrophic loss of life and a multibillion-dollar disaster bailout if a hurricane or huge storm strikes. Many critics are questioning whether federal shoreline-protection policies are encouraging irresponsible growth and leading to other problems like pollution and depletion of fisheries. The Clinton administration is trying to trim some shoreline subsidies but is encountering fierce resistance from coastal state lawmakers in Congress.
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