Editor, Gazette-Journal:
The planned floodwall in Norfolk is becoming more and more complicated and much more expensive. Evidently it will also leave some valuable property unprotected. Although the federal government is paying the largest part, the bill to Norfolk is still very high. This is not necessary because this is not Norfolk’s problem. It is not Virginia’s problem. It is a national problem and it must be solved on a national basis.
The Netherlands faced this dilemma decades ago and began their massive Delta Works project to solve it and protect Rotterdam, the largest port in Europe. That project was successful and is now considered the gold standard in protection against sea level rise. For a country that is smaller than West Virginia, the cost was astronomical. But they had no choice.
We should do the same. A good start would be a similar project across the Chesapeake Bay entrance. This would protect not only Virginia’s cities, but also the port of Baltimore and Washington, D...