WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the House of Representatives voted to approve Congressman Walter B. Jones’ (NC-3) proposal to repeal excessive restrictions on human access to Cape Hatteras National Seashore Recreational Area.  The provision would repeal regulations implemented by a 2012 National Park Service rule and a 2008 court-approved Consent Decree and instead require that visitor access and species protection be governed by the Park Service’s 2007 Interim Management Strategy.  The Interim Management Strategy was supported by a 113-page Biological Opinion issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which found that it would not jeopardize piping plover, sea turtles, or other species of concern.

“The last thing we need in Eastern North Carolina is unnecessary government regulation stifling job creation and economic growth,” said Congressman Jones.  “I am grateful to my colleagues in the House for voting to approve this common-sense measure, which strikes the appropriate balance between protecting the species that live in the Cape Hatteras area and protecting the taxpayers’ right to access the recreational areas that they own.  Now it is time for the Senate to act.”

The Cape Hatteras provision was included in the Public Access and Lands Improvement Act (H.R. 2954), which passed the House today with a bipartisan vote of 220 to 194 and will now go to the Senate for further consideration.  Congressman Jones’ speech on the House floor today in favor of the legislation can be viewed here.

This is the second time that the House has approved Congressman Jones’ Cape Hatteras access proposal.  It first passed the House in 2012 as part of H.R. 2578, but the Senate took no action on that bill.

(article originally published on Congressman Walter P. Jones website http://jones.house.gov/ )