Conservation groups don’t always know what’s best for Horry

It’s a challenge to make sense of the efforts by various groups who put themselves forth as environmentalists to stop new road projects in Horry County. Their efforts to prevent or delay development may be warranted in other places for other reasons but their challenges to roadbuilding in Horry County are hard to figure.

First, I have questions about those who profess to be more concerned about the flora and fauna of a place than its human inhabitants, especially when those inhabitants have gone to great lengths to comply with the law and protect the environment. Do they really know what’s best for us and are they really smarter than the experts in the governmental agencies?

We’re not perfect in Horry County but we work with state and federal agencies to address environmental problems when they’re identified. We don’t like to see humans or animals killed on our roadways. And we have been careful about how our new roads impact the habitats of the plants and wildlife here.

After all, we hunt, we fish, we play golf, we stroll on our beaches, we go boating on our rivers, we hike through our woods, we grow a lot of food and we entertain visitors from all over the world. So, it should be quite evident to everyone, those of us who live here and those who don’t, that we have a vested interest in being surrounded by a healthy and balanced Mother Nature.

Second, none of these groups are based in Horry County. That’s hard to ignore. Their respective boards of directors don’t include anyone who lives in Horry County. That’s even harder to ignore. Yet some of them claim to be the protectors of the coast. How can any entity claim to represent and protect the interests of the coast without representation from Horry County? It’s the largest county in the state geographically and it also constitutes a sizeable chunk of the South Carolina coast.

Third, I see no evidence that our flora and fauna have been or would be enhanced by the efforts of these groups. So, is the fuss really about the environment here or are they like Don Quixote, requiring a jousting foe to justify their imaginary knighthoods? Are new roads in Horry County their default windmills? How do we know what their motives really are?

Fifth, I have no problem with state and federal agencies who police the environment soliciting the opinions of these groups and others before making decisions on local road projects. They are entitled to assertively make their views known and to try to influence the outcome. But when the various governmental agencies make their final decisions, the conversation should only be between the local governments and the regulators at the state and federal level.

The current system provides ample opportunity for opponents of projects to cause considerable delay. And justice delayed for those who need the roads for safety and economy is justice denied.

Lastly, as long as procedural due process – which is notice to all and opportunity to be heard – is provided, our state and federal constitutions are satisfied. But giving private groups any sort of control over the permitting or timing of public projects is not a constitutional requirement. It is certainly a curious policy.

And as long as the pertinent statutes and regulations allow private groups to contest and delay environmental permitting for public roads after the regulatory agencies have acted, substantive due process – which is simple fundamental fairness – will continue to be denied to the residents, voters and taxpayers of places like Horry County.

The writer lives in Myrtle Beach and is distinguished professor emeritus at Coastal Carolina University. He is currently chairing the Ride III initiative for Horry County.

This story was originally published March 5, 2016 at 10:26 PM with the headline "Conservation groups don’t always know what’s best for Horry."