There are increasing concerns about keeping Oregon Inlet open. The only link to the ocean on the northern Outer Banks has become almost unnavigable after winter and spring storms caused severe shoaling. Funds for dredging of the waterway have been severely cut and in this article from the Daily News of Jacksonville (NC), Congressman Walter B. Jones (R, NC) questions why the funds have been cut.
“Today, Congressman Walter B. Jones (NC-3) called for a meeting with top federal officials and Dare County leaders regarding funding for maintenance dredging of Oregon Inlet. In a letter to Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works) Jo-Ellen Darcy, Congressman Jones explained that although the White House Council on Environmental Quality promised in 2003 to consistently provide funding for dredging to keep the channel maintained, dredging dollars in presidential budget requests have decreased almost every year – with the request for Fiscal Year 2015 coming in woefully short at $800,000. ”
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