The General Assembly is at a stalemate over renourishment money for Edisto Beach, and lawmakers on both sides say they've drawn a line in the sand.

If this fight isn't resolved soon, they'll have to draw those lines in somebody's driveway. There's not much beach left to save on Edisto.

"Of all the places the state has spent money for beach renourishment, I can't think of one in worse shape than Edisto is in right now," says Bill Eiser, staff oceanographer with the state's office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management.

Erosion has been a chronic problem on Edisto Island for years, wearing the beach down to a narrow ribbon of sand. Lately, the problem has worsened. Eiser estimates that storms and nor'easters have cost Edisto 10 feet to 15 feet of sand in the past year.In March, Eiser's office declared Edisto the state's top priority for beach rebuilding. About the same time, the state House passed a budget with $5 million earmarked for rebuilding Edisto Beach. It was the first time since creating a trust fund for renourishment projects that lawmakers had earmarked money for the account.

Since then, support has eroded. The Senate summarily stripped the money out of the budget, in part because House members suggested that the state dedicate some of the accommodations tax to beach projects every year.

Members of the Senate Finance Committee say there are more pressing needs in putting together the first budget in several years that hasn't cut state agencies' funding. House members vow to put the money back, but they can't do that without Senate support.

"It is essential we protect the beaches of South Carolina. They are important to this state's economy," says state Rep. Bill Bowers, D-Hampton. "If we don't do something, the ocean may be back up here at the Statehouse."

Bowers and other House members are ready to fight to have the money restored when House and Senate members sit down to iron out their differences in the budget next month. While some Lowcountry lawmakers say there is support to put the money back, other senators say it is unlikely Edisto will see any money this year.

State Sen. Yancy McGill, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee's Natural Resources and Economic Development subcommittee, said using accommodations tax money is not an option because small towns depend on it for ongoing projects. McGill, who represents the Myrtle Beach area, says beach renourishment is important, but other needs have been ignored during years of tight budgets.

"We want to build up our tourism industry; it's our golden egg," says McGill, D-Kingstree. "But in the last five years, we've been hit hard. We don't have enough money to go around."

Edisto Beach finds itself in the middle of a debate that is geographical as well as philosophical. Some Upstate lawmakers are loath to spend money on the beaches, particularly funds drawn from the accommodations tax. Other lawmakers think beach renourishment is simply throwing money into the ocean.

Many legislators argue that renourishment is just a cost of doing business. Tourism is a $14 billion industry in South Carolina, and provides some 120,000 jobs. At Edisto Beach, 80 percent of the 2,400 homes are rental properties. Tourism is the main driver of the economy there.

State Rep. Bobby Harrell, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, says it's important for the Legislature to recognize the importance of beaches and allocate funds accordingly.

"The day a family decides to vacation in Daytona instead of a South Carolina beach is the day they stop vacationing here," Harrell, R-Charleston, says.

BRAD NETTLES/STAFF Houses and bulkheads on Edisto Island have been compromised by erosion.

The Legislature has shown support for renourishment projects recently. When Gov. Mark Sanford vetoed $5 million in emergency funds to shore up Hunting Island, the General Assembly easily overrode the veto.

State Sen. Clementa Pinckney says tourism, while important, shouldn't be the only factor that plays into the decision to save Edisto Beach. It is the most public beach access there is on the southern third of the state's coast.

"It's important to everyone in the Lowcountry, and everyone in the state," Pinckney, D-Ridgeland, says. Pinckney said the idea of funding renourishment projects with the accommodations tax was palatable, but that he will support any idea that can gain majority support.

McGill says the best bet is for someone, perhaps the state department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism, to set up a committee to find some sort of recurring fund.

"I think that's what you'll see. We've got to come up with a funding source," McGill says.

That idea doesn't sit well with folks on Edisto. Hurricane season is coming, and even if the beach project is funded in this year's state budget, work probably could not begin until next year. Another delay means another hurricane season and less beach to weather the storms. Edisto residents wonder why, in a state that trumpets tourism as its No. 1 industry, there is even a question about spending money on beaches.

"This is not some frivolous request, this is absolutely an emergency need," Edisto Beach Mayor Burley Lyons says.