After Sandy, feds mull plan for artificial islands off New jersey, New York

AP via Fox News ^ | March 29, 2014

[don-o]

SEASIDE HEIGHTS, N.J. – A string of artificial islands off the coast of New Jersey and New York could blunt the impact of storm surges that proved so deadly during Superstorm Sandy, according to a proposal vying for attention and funding as the region continues its recovery.

It's a big proposal that would cost $10 billion to $12 billion. But it's also the kind of innovative idea that federal officials requested as they consider how best to protect the heavily populated region from future storms.

[SunkenCiv]

To hamstring such a project, the carbon output necessary to accomplish it would be shown to just make those “superstorms” even worse. :’) Thanks don-o.

[Bernard]

According to Buck Perry, this would be considered structure, so that would be a good thing. Just tell anybody about it.

[UCANSEE2]

The Big Dig - Part 2 ?

Too bad they couldn’t use what they dug out of Big Dig One to make Big Dig Two.

[exit82]

A barrier island for the barrier islands.

Great idea.

Let’s build those before we build the fence on the southern border that we were promised 7 years ago.

[OneVike]

Interesting.

The fools paradise is need of protection so that they can survive another storm.

So they devise a foolish plan that will only make things worse in the long run, because these fools never ever consult the One who created the paradise they have destroyed.

But then again, how can they consult someone they refuse to admit exists?

00 The fool has said in his heart,
00 "There is no God."

[Nifster]

Careful they all might just tip over....

[knarf]

Must be imported Philadelphia legislators coming up with this crap

[bunkerhill7]

Let me get this straight-

Feds will build islands to stop

a hurricane that is TEN MILES HIGH!!

good luck with that plan.

morons

[Amendment10]

I'm not sure where the feds derive the constitutional authority to justify funding such a project. If the feds own land for the purposes described in the Constitution's Clause 17 of Section 8 of Article I, dock yards coming to mind with respect to places like NJ and NY, then the feds can probably justify such projects.

Note that the federal Natural Response Plan of 2004 was justified partly because of the Congressional Act of 1803. This act provided relief for a fire in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

However, note that the feds had probably bought land in Portsmouth for dock yard purposes (corrections welcome) using their Clause 17 powers. And if such was the case then federal funding for relief was evidently deemed justifiable under that clause.

It remains that states have never delegated to Congress, via the Constitution, the specific power to provide relief or safeguards against natural disasters for any arbitrary location. The problem is that the Congressional Act of 1803 gives the wrong impression, imo, that Congress can provide such relief and safeguards because citizens no longer understand Congress's limited power to tax and spend.

“Congress is not empowered to tax for those purposes which are within the exclusive province of the States.” —Justice John Marshall, Gibbons v. Ogden, 1824.

I think that federal relief would be appropriate in many cases concerning natural disasters on non-federal land, but the Constitution needs to amended to grant Congress the specific power to provide such relief imo.

[OneVike]

I agree with your assessment.