THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, February 4, 1995 TAG: 9502040287
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY PAUL SOUTH, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 56 lines
North Carolina Rep. Walter B. Jones Jr. has introduced legislation that would transfer 100 acres of land to the Army Corps of Engineers for the construction of jetties on Oregon Inlet.
A counterpart in the Senate, Jesse Helms, is expected to reintroduce similar legislation there this month. In the past, he has been unsuccessful in his efforts to get a jetty bill passed.
The House bill - known as the Oregon Inlet Protection Act - would require no additional funding, Jones said.
``Enactment of the bill will be uncomplicated, since it allows the use of already authorized funds. . . It simply transfers land to the Corps of Engineers,'' said Jones, a first-term Republican.
Jones said the legislation is of ``vital interest'' to commercial fishermen in North Carolina who navigate the waters of the inlet daily.
The land, owned by the Department of the Interior, would be used to construct jetties and employ a sand bypass operation. Jones said the two actions would stabilize the inlet and maintain the natural drift of sand along the coast.
Opponents, however, say jetties could lead to further destabilization of the shoreline, particularly in the Pea Island area. Environmentalists also fear that jetty construction would damage sensitive shellfish beds.
From a financial perspective, opponents say jetties would incur high upkeep and maintenance costs for an unproven project.
The issue has been delayed in Washington for 25 years. Congress authorized construction of the jetties by the Corps of Engineers in 1970. The Interior Department has never approved the plan.
Jones is confident the bill will win House approval.
``We are the majority party,'' said the Farmville Republican. ``But I don't think this is an issue that involves party. There are a number of good business minds in both parties who realize that this is a good bill for commercial fishermen. I haven't done a vote count, but I believe it will pass.''
Engineers have projected that two 1.5-mile-long rock jetties in Oregon Inlet will cost about $97 million. Over the years, millions of dollars have been spent studying the proposal.
Meanwhile, the government spends about $8 million annually dredging the channel to keep it passable. Hundreds of sport and commercial fishermen rely on Oregon Inlet as a passageway to the Atlantic Ocean. In the past 50 years, shoaling has caused sand to shift and build up in the channel. At least eight watermen have drowned, and dozens of million-dollar boats have either sunk or been grounded in the channel. by CNB