Rep. Brown says he hears his constituents Amid a chorus of criticism, U.S. Rep. Henry Brown said Thursday he killed his bill to make a large undeveloped spit on Kiawah Island eligible for cheaper government-subsidized flood insurance. In recent days, voters flooded Brown's office with e-mails and phone calls saying the government shouldn't subsidize new development on fragile barrier islands. "Our constituents spoke, and we listened," Brown said. The bill involved a rare attempt to modify the boundaries of the Coastal Barrier Resources System, a program Congress created 26 years ago to discourage development on undeveloped hurricane-prone coastal areas. Land in this system is not eligible for federal funds, including beach renourishment projects and federal flood insurance. A windswept area of about 150 acres on Kiawah's southwestern tip is inside this system. The property's owner, Kiawah Development Partners, plans to build 50 homes there and sought Brown's help to have the land removed from the federal zone so future homeowners would qualify for federal flood insurance. With strong support from the town's mayor, William Wert, Brown introduced the legislation in June and called for a congressional hearing Sept. 10. Wert said Brown's office asked him to testify in favor of the bill. Past stories Council votes against Washington trip, published 08/28/08 Planned Kiawah development would affect county park, published 08/14/08 As opposition to the bill grew after a Post and Courier Watchdog report on the issue, Wert called a special town meeting. In a split vote, Town Council voted against sending Wert to Washington, D.C. Brown, R-S.C., said the town's vote prompted him to change his mind about the bill. "We're doing this basically at the request of the mayor, so when the council voted that he not go to Washington to testify, there was no reason to do it." Brown then canceled the hearing, effectively killing the bill. Wert said he was disappointed with Brown's decision because the town still supports the bill. The council merely decided not to send him to testify in person. Opponents of the bill welcomed the news of its death. "We appreciate Congressman Brown's recall of his legislation, which was very bad for the environment and very bad for the taxpayers," said Nancy Vinson of the Coastal Conservation League. In an e-mail, Brown's campaign spokesman, Rod Shealy, blamed politics for the bill's short life. "The public should understand that the recent media controversy on this matter was nothing more than negative politics-as-usual — weeks before an election — orchestrated by Ms. Ketner's campaign in a deliberate attempt to damage the congressman's outstanding reputation." Linda Ketner is running against Brown this November to represent the 1st District. Kelly Love Johnson, Ketner's communications director, said politics had nothing to do with it. "The first story on this came out on a Monday. We did not get into the fray immediately because we wanted to give the residents of Kiawah — those most affected by the legislation — an opportunity to respond. Our first press release went out that Friday only because so many angry people contacted our office and asked Linda to speak up about it on their behalf." Ketner was in Denver for the Democratic National Convention. In an e-mail through her communications director, she said that she was glad Brown "decided to do the right thing and can understand why he's embarrassed." She said the bill's death was "a victory for those who spoke out against special interest groups and for the protection of the coast of South Carolina." Changes in the Coastal Barrier Resource System are relatively rare and usually involve technical changes to maps because shorelines eroded or grew, a Watchdog analysis of past legislation showed. The debate over Brown's bill also triggered scrutiny of Kiawah Development Partners' plans to build next to the county park, along with a permit the company is seeking for a half-mile-long revetment to keep the Kiawah River from cutting through to the beach. Company officials say they plan to build no matter what happened with Brown's legislation, and that they've hired scientists to make sure homes don't affect wildlife or the area's ecological health. Plans call for 50 homes on about 20 acres, with most of the remaining land being placed in a protective easement with the Kiawah Island Natural Habitat Conservancy.

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