JONES' BEACH DRIVING BILL MOVES TO HOUSE FLOOR

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday Congressman Walter B. Jones’ (NC-3) bill, H.R. 4094 – the Preserving Access to Cape Hatteras National Seashore Recreational Area Act – passed out of the House Natural Resources Committee with a roll call vote of 24-18.  The next step for this bill to restore reasonable pedestrian and motorized access to Cape Hatteras National Seashore Recreational Area will be to come to the House floor for a vote. 

“This is a major win for the people of Hatteras and the state of North Carolina,” said Jones.  “This bill is about jobs and the taxpayers’ right to access the recreational areas they own. It’s about restoring balance and common sense to Park Service management.  I would like to thank the Natural Resources Committee for doing what is right.”

H.R. 4094 would overturn a final rule implemented by the National Park Service (NPS) in mid-February, as well as the 2008 U.S. District court approved Consent Decree.  Both the Rule and the Consent Decree excessively restrict human access to the Recreational Area.  The bill would reinstitute the Park Service’s 2007 Interim Management Strategy (IMS) to govern visitor access and species protection in the Recreational Area.  The Interim Strategy was backed up by a 113-page Biological Opinion issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service which found that it would not jeopardize the species of concern, namely piping plover and sea turtles.