Jones Secures $500,000 For New River Inlet | Eastern NC Now

Press Release:

 Washington, DC     Today, Congressman Walter B. Jones (NC-3) secured $500,000 from the Army Corps of Engineers to dredge New River Inlet this year. Last month, Congressman Jones wrote a letter to Army Corps of Engineers leaders explaining that shoaling conditions in the channel are impacting Marine Corps training and operations at Camp Lejeune. Jones reminded the Corps of Engineers leaders that the Marine Corps is on record stating that it is "vital that the New River inlet remains passable to support [their] missions" at Camp Lejeune. That need was reinforced at a meeting Congressman Jones had with representatives of Camp Lejeune and Onslow County last month.

 While Congress no longer has the ability to legislatively increase funding for specific projects because of an earmark ban imposed in 2011, Congress did attempt to address some of the waterway maintenance issues across the nation in the recently-passed Fiscal Year 2016 appropriations bill for the Corps of Engineers. In that bill, Congress created several unallocated pots of money for different project categories, including "Small, Remote or Subsistence Navigation." In his letter to the Corps, Congressman Jones made the case that New River Inlet is exactly the type of project that Congress had in mind when it provided the Corps with these additional pots of money.

 Today, it was announced that the Army Corps has granted Congressman Jones' request and allocated $500,000 in FY16 funding to New River Inlet.

 "I'd like to thank the Army Corps of Engineers for accepting my request," said Congressman Jones. "Maintaining adequate depth at New River Inlet is vital to Marine Corps readiness. It is also critical to fishermen."

 For additional information, please contact Sarah Howard in Congressman Jones' office at (202) 225-3415 or sarah.howard@mail.house.gov.