THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, January 31, 1997 TAG: 9701310662
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B2 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
DATELINE: OREGON INLET LENGTH: 30 lines
U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms, R-N.C., introduced a bill in Congress this week asking the Secretary of the Interior to transfer jurisdiction of the land around Oregon Inlet from the Department of the Interior to the Secretary of the Army.
If approved, the legislation could help pave the way for the construction of two jetties around Oregon Inlet. Fishermen say the jetties are needed to keep the Outer Banks' primary passageway to the Atlantic open. Sand build-up in the inlet has made the water route treacherous and even impassible at times.
Since 1961, at least 20 boats have sunk in Oregon Inlet and 20 fishermen have died trying to traverse the waterway.
Department of the Interior officials have blocked construction of the jetties. Environmentalists fear such structures would damage shorelines further south and adversely affect wildlife. If the land on either end of the Herbert C. Bonner Bridge over Oregon Inlet were managed by the Department of the Army, however, construction of the jetties would not require approval by the Department of the Interior.
``The time for delay is over,'' Helms said Wednesday. ``This legislation will mark the beginning of the end of the jetty debate on the Outer Banks and will address the long-neglected concerns of North Carolina's coastal residents. Congress should not delay further in doing what it should have done a quarter of a century ago.''