Congressmen disappointed with re

CAROLINA BEACH, N.C. -- Two congressmen representing North Carolina's coastal counties say they're disappointed that others in the state's delegation didn't support efforts to appropriate more money to keep inlets and waterways dredged.

The disagreement among North Carolina congressmen highlights the problems faced by residents along the coast in getting federal funding for dredging.

Rep. Walter Jones, R-N.C., proposed a $20 million budget amendment to help the Army Corps of Engineers maintain the waterways and inlets across the nation, but knew that getting the money in an era of Iraq-war budgets would be a challenge.

What Jones and Rep. Mike McIntyre, D-N.C., didn't expect was opposition from fellow N.C. congressional representatives. The legislation was defeated 275-152 in the House with six N.C. votes against the proposal.

"I was surprised and disappointed," McIntyre said Monday during a news conference at the north end of Carolina Beach, where a corps dredge worked to clean sand out of Carolina Beach Inlet.

McIntyre and Jones secured emergency funding to dredge North Carolina's five shallow-draft inlets this summer. But there isn't money to maintain the inlets or the Intracoastal Waterway past Sept. 30, the end of the current federal fiscal year.

The corps historically has spent about $7 million a year maintaining the waterway and $500,000 per shallow-draft inlet. The figures have been reduced in recent years.

McIntyre said the coastal boat traffic might have changed over the decades from commercial to almost completely recreational, but the financial impact still is important despite federal rules that allow funding for waterways used by commercial traffic. Carolina Beach officials estimate a non-navigable Carolina Beach Inlet could cost the local economy nearly $200 million over five years.

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Information from: The Star-News, http://starnewsonline.com