Weather and mechanical problems led to delays in a beach renourishment project at Litchfield Beach that had already received permission from regulators to work during the sea turtle nesting season.

The extension of the permit for work at the Peninsula on the southern end of Litchfield has added to concern that state and federal agencies are backtracking on decades of protections for the endangered and threatened reptiles.

“It feels like a big step backward,” said Amy Armstrong, executive director and chief counsel of the S.C. Environmental Law Project. “To allow exceptions like this, it’s harmful and troubling.”