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Debate Over Rebuilding Beaches Post-Sandy Creates Waves

Credit Pam Spaugy / U.S. Army

Ongoing beach nourishment, like this project in Viriginia Beach, has been the topic of debate. Some people say it's needed to protect beach communities; others decry the costs.

Credit Pam Spaugy / U.S. Army

Some call beach refurbishment "welfare for the rich," and others say it's necessary for local communities.

Credit Pam Spaugy / U.S. Army

Workers reconstruct a section of Virginia Beach. The federal government finances 65 percent of beach nourishment projects; local governments pay for the rest.

By Jennifer Ludden

Originally published on Wed January 30, 2013 12:49 pm

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For a half-century, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been in the beach business, dredging up new sand as shorelines wash away. Federal disaster aid for Superstorm Sandy could provide billions more for beach rebuilding, and that has revived an old debate: Is this an effective way to protect against storms, or a counterproductive waste of tax dollars?

On a recent blustery day at Virginia Beach, the latest beach nourishment project is in full swing. A bulldozer smooths out pyramids of sand, and on the horizon, a large, black hopper dredge appears with another load.

12:03 am

Wed January 30, 2013

Lanny Breuer, Justice Dept.'s Criminal Division Chief, Says He Will Step Down

Credit Ramin Talaie / Getty Images

Assistant US Attorney General Lanny Breuer in December of 2012.

By Carrie Johnson

Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer, the longest serving chief of the Justice Department's criminal division since the 1960s, says he will leave government service in March.

Breuer is announcing his departure a day after a federal judge in New Orleans accepted a guilty plea by BP in connection with the 2010 Gulf Oil spill, the biggest criminal investigation — and at $4 billion, the biggest criminal penalty — in Justice Department history.

7:43 pm

Tue January 29, 2013

Drought Causes Ripple Effect Along Mighty Mississippi River

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Credit Debbie Elliott / NPR

International ships call at the busy Port of New Orleans. It's a major shipping convergence point on the Mississippi River. Ships come upriver from the Gulf of Mexico with imports from abroad, and barges come downriver, bringing U.S. goods for export.

Credit Debbie Elliott / NPR

The Mississippi River is flowing at near normal levels again in New Orleans, as measured by this old-fashioned staff gauge behind the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers New Orleans District office. The Corps has been fighting saltwater encroaching up the mouth of the Mississippi because of the persistent drought.

By Debbie Elliott

Originally published on Wed January 30, 2013 8:30 pm

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The persistent drought is raising questions about how the Mississippi River is managed — both upstream and down.

While cargo traffic upriver has gotten lots of attention, the drought is creating a different set of problems downriver at the mouth of the Mississippi, where saltwater has encroached.

An old-fashioned staff river gauge behind the New Orleans district office of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers shows the Mississippi is running just shy of 6 feet above sea level at the river bend.

6:16 pm

Tue January 29, 2013

As China Builds, Cambodia's Forests Fall

Credit Michael Sullivan / NPR

Illegal logging is widespread in Cambodia, and efforts to prevent it have had only a limited impact. Much of the wood is destined for China.

By editor

Originally published on Mon February 4, 2013 2:29 pm

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China's demand for natural resources is being felt in a big way in Cambodia.

Illegal logging and economic land concessions are threatening Cambodia's dwindling forests, which now echo the sound of chainsaws.

Prey Lang forest — an eight-hour journey north and east of the capital, Phnom Penh — is one of the forests where illegal loggers see money signs on the trees.

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