Recently, Congressman Walter B. Jones (NC-3) announced that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has followed his request and will allocate $4.5 million in disaster dollars recently appropriated by Congress to Oregon Inlet.
Jones has been actively working with the Corps of Engineers on the need to direct disaster funding to Oregon Inlet, including a letter he sent last month to the Corps’ Commanding General – Major General Bo Temple. Oregon Inlet is eligible to receive funding through the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act (H.R. 3672), a bill which Congressman Jones voted for last month and which was signed into law on December 23rd. H.R. 3672 provides $534 million to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers “for necessary expenses to dredge navigation channels in response to, and repair damage to Corps projects resulting from, a major disaster declared pursuant to the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act. ”
Jones has emphasized to the Corps that many Corps-maintained channels in Eastern North Carolina, including Oregon Inlet, sustained significant damage in late August of 2011 as a result of Hurricane Irene. The damage was so severe that President Barack Obama declared every coastal county in Eastern North Carolina to be a disaster area under the Stafford Act. As a result of that disaster declaration, Oregon Inlet is eligible for the funding included in H.R. 3672.
Oregon Inlet is “ critical to North Carolina’s coastal economy ”, said Congressman Jones. “ Fishermen and boaters depend on safe navigation through this channel. I am very pleased that the Corps agreed to use the money appropriated by Congress to help address the serious problems at Oregon Inlet. ”
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Dredging Today Staff, February 14, 2012