Army Corps allots another $1.2 million for Oregon Inlet dredging

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has allotted another $1.2 million for dredging of the badly shoaled Oregon Inlet.

The announcement of the additional funds was made today by U.S. Rep. Walter B. Jones, R-N.C. Last month, Jones wrote a letter to Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works) Jo-Ellen Darcy and Lt. General Thomas P. Bostick at the Army Corps of Engineers and explained that in the past, the inlet received regular federal maintenance that kept it a passable channel for vessels.  

President Obama’s Fiscal Year 2015 budget request allocated $800,000 for dredging the inlet, but that money has already been spent and parts of the inlet remain impassable. 

Congress allocated several pots of money to the Army Corps for projects like dredging the Oregon Inlet in the Fiscal Year 2015 appropriations bill.  In the letter to the DOD,  Jones made the case that the Oregon Inlet dredging project is exactly the kind of project those funds were set aside for because of Coast Guard safety concerns and the severe economic impact on the community when the inlet is not passable, among other reasons. 

Today’s announcement brings the total funding in fiscal year 2015 to $2 million. 

 “The maintenance of Oregon Inlet is vital to the economic success of Eastern North Carolina, which is why I am very pleased to announce that the Army Corps of Engineers has accepted my request for additional money to be allocated to dredge the inlet,” said Jones.  “It is critical for the inlet to be safe and passable for fishermen, boaters and the Coast Guard.
  I will continue to fight for proper maintenance of Eastern North Carolina’s harbors and inlets.”

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