COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- Some members of a blue ribbon panel reviewing South Carolina's beach management laws worry the law eases coastal building restrictions when beaches are replenished with sand.
The State newspaper of Columbia reports several panel members said Tuesday the state should consider tightening the restrictions as a rise in sea level threatens the coast.
The state's beaches are the heart of South Carolina's $18 billion tourism industry.
The 16-member panel of lawmakers, mayors, business people and others is revisiting South Carolina's beach management law amid concerns that uniform rules approved almost a quarter-century ago may not be in the best interests of the entire coast.
The state's 1988 Beachfront Management Act calls for a gradual retreat of development from the beach.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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