WELLS – A federally funded program that has helped replenish Maine beaches is facing criticism from the Bush administration.

The White House has been trying to persuade Congress to withhold any more funding for the program, calling it a futile waste of taxpayer money.

But Rick Goodrich, chairman of the Wells Board of Selectmen, said beach-renourishment projects are vital to coastal communities.

“Without the beaches, Wells, Maine, would be off the map,” Goodrich said.

“The bulk of our economy is geared to tourism, and without those beaches we might as well fold our tent.”

The program in question provides funding to take sand from harbors and transfer it to beaches that are in need.

Since the 1920s the federal government has spent more than $1 billion on such projects nationwide, including millions in Maine.

If funding is cut, it could affect many towns along the Atlantic Seaboard. Projects are under way in Maine, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia and California.

In Maine, Wells, Saco and Ogunquit all have used federal funds to help restore their beaches.

Supporters of the projects claim that pumping sand from the harbors helps maintain the beaches. Maine’s congressional delegation has consistently supported such projects.

But opponents say the sand eventually just washes back into the ocean and that it is a waste of money to try to stem the tide.

“We’re paying for poor planning in the last 100 years that allowed building on sand dunes that normally wouldn’t have had permanent structures,” said Mark Johnston, a city councilor in Saco. “The ocean is rising and the ocean comes in and the beaches recede. It’s a natural process.”