Nestled among Georgia’s fragile barrier islands where rising tides increasingly threaten coastal ecosystems, St. Simons Island serves as headquarters for the Center for a Sustainable Coast. The group was founded in 1997 by environmental professionals and concerned citizens focused on the responsible use, protection, and conservation of coastal Georgia’s natural, historic, and economic resources in a region particularly vulnerable to sea-level rise, flooding, and pollution. To combat these pressing environmental challenges, the Center takes a multifaceted approach: they push for stronger environmental legislation, take legal action against harmful development projects, and build coalitions with like-minded organizations. Their work prominently features enforcement of the federal Clean Water Act and Georgia’s Coastal Marshlands Protection Act, ensuring that Georgians’ environmental interests have a powerful voice in decisions affecting their coastal communities.
The Center for a Sustainable Coast sued the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for issuing a dock permit on Cumberland Island without full environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act. All of Cumberland Island is designated as a national seashore and most is owned by the federal government. Because this site is within the National Seashore boundary a hearing should have been required by the Corps, according to CSC Director Dave Kyler. Credit: Center for a Sustainable Coast
The Center is composed of a dedicated board, advisors, and small staff, working to ensure that Georgians’ environmental interests are properly represented in decisions that affect them. Their successful initiatives include establishing a Coal Ash Legal Fund to fight toxic waste dumping in Wayne County and coordinating support for 100% clean energy implementation in Savannah by 2035. A significant ongoing legal effort involves collaboration with the Glynn Environmental Coalition (GEC) against Sea Island Acquisition regarding their 2013 filling of wetlands near the Inn by Sea Island. After facing dismissal in 2021, appeal in 2022, and another dismissal following the 2023 Supreme Court’s Sackett decision limiting wetland protections, the case continues at the 11th Circuit Court. The appeal aims to assure organizations, like the Center and GEC, have standing to take action when violations of the Clean Water Act are identified, highlighting the broader significance of this case for environmental protection in coastal Georgia.