Salt marshes, an important resource for the Southeast economy, are in jeopardy as a result of the coastal building boom

Thousands of acres of salt marshes that protect the South Atlantic coast from hurricanes, support the seafood industry, and boost the tourism economy are in jeopardy of being washed away as a result of rapid development and lax government oversight, making the threat of sea level rise even more dangerous. According to an inquiry, state authorities in the Carolinas and Georgia have awarded at least 28,000 permits to build, enlarge, replace, or repair docks, bulkheads, piers, and other structures in tidelands that border the coast over the last three decades.