Articles

Yesterday, Congressman Walter B. Jones (NC-3) and 15 of his colleagues asked the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to thoroughly assess the impact of its proposed Critical Habitat Designation for loggerhead sea turtles, which it issued on March 25, 2013, under the Endangered Species Act.  In a letter to Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe, the bipartisan group expressed concern over the proposal to designate approximately 740 miles of shoreline, including 96 miles in North Carolina, as critical habitat for loggerhead turtles.  This proposed rule would hinder efforts to restore severely eroded beaches in the designated areas, despite a contradiction in the rule itself which admits that beach nourishment projects often have a positive effect on turtle nesting activities.  Maintaining healthy beaches in North Carolina is crucial to protecting life and property along the coast and fostering a tourism industry that greatly benefits the local economy.      

“In North Carolina, sufficient management plans to protect sea turtles have already been instituted through cooperation between the state government and local communities,” said Jones.  “This is another example of the federal government imposing an unnecessary rule with layers of regulation that will stifle the local economy.”

A number of North Carolina coastal communities and state agencies have joined Congressman Jones in expressing concern over the critical habitat proposal.  The North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Carteret County, Emerald Isle, Pine Knoll Shores, Indian Beach, Dare County and many other local governments have passed resolutions or filed comments on the matter.