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Cape Hatteras - Act Now #30103 07/04/98 10:25 AM
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Received the following message from Cheryl Roberts of the Outer Banks Lighthouse Society:

Quote:
Dear Friends of Cape Hatteras,

Here's hoping you have a safe, memorable, and fun Fourth of July!

In the next six weeks a final decision will be made concerning the funding
of the relocation of the nation's most prominent lighthouse: Cape Hatteras.
Congress will probably never revisit this event again.

Your letters and faxes and phone calls are of utmost importance. We have
come a long way, but we must persevere until funds are approved during the
joint session of the House and Senate committees due to meet in August.
Those against the move of this historic structure are taking bold moves to
continue dissemination of misinformation. Full-page newspaper ads urge
defeat of the funds to move the lighthouse to safety.

Please take a moment and let your voice be heard in favor of relocation of
the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse.

Write, fax or call:
Congressman Ralph Regula
2309 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515

phone 202/225-3876
fax 202/225-3059
Consider sending copies to his staff member, Debbie Weatherly as well as to
Regula

Ohio Congressman Regula is Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Interior
Appropriations. He stripped all funding for the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse
from the House version of the budget after NC Congressman Jones asked for
money to build a groin. Regula would not endorse funds for an illegal
groin. There are prohibitions against hardened structures on national
seashore property as well as North Carolina state coastal laws against
hardened structures.

It is time to get moving.

*** We must now convince Regula, as well as all Congressmen, to support the
relocation funding for $9.8 million when the joint session of the House and
Senate meet in late summer. The Senate Appropriations Committee has
already approved funding for the move. Full Senate vote takes place mid-July.

When you communicate with Regula's office, some points you might include:

*Governor Hunt of North Carolina supports the move
*The National Academy of Sciences supports the move
*The Ad Hoc Committee of North Carolina State University, the team of
architectural and environmental experts who prepared the most recent study
in 1996-97, also studied the lighthouse and declared it sound and ready to
withstand the rigors of a move and unanimously supports and urges the move
*Every lighthouse society and every environmental group who have explored
the issue have chosen the move as the best option to save the lighthouse
*The proposed groin is illegal under North Carolina coastal laws and NPS
laws concerning hardened structures in a national seashore
*In June, the House Appropriations Subcommittee defeated any money to
protect the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse; not even money for one sand bag. We
must protect it now; if money is appropriated for relocation, the NPS is
ready to proceed with plans beginning October 1 with the relocation planned
for May, 1999
*Congress will most likely never revisit this subject again; we must save
the lighthouse now
*Thousands of people visit the Hatteras Lighthouse everyday; it symbolizes
the value of all lighthouses all over the nation
*The Hatteras Lighthouse is the great symbol of our maritime heritage and
it belongs to all Americans

Get your letters and phone calls and faxes going NOW! and continue until
relocation funds are approved during the joint House and Senate Committee
meeting some time in August.

You will be notified of any and all updates as they happen.

The agenda for the Appropriations Committee looks like this:
+Full Senate vote on the budget will take place in about two weeks
+Joint conference of the House and Senate in August
+Final bill will be voted on some time in September.

Thanks to all the great people out there who have been working diligently
to get the facts out. Gradually the public is getting the real story and
evaluating this event for themselves. Look at the major North Carolina
newspaper and the excellent local newspapers all over the state: they are
in full support of the relocation as the best environmental, economic, and
long-term protection of the famous landmark. We are getting feedback from
Maine to California, Hawaii to England, Germany and beyond.

The saving of this famous lighthouse is indicative of the grassroots
movement in America: caring more and more for our historic buildings and
saving our history and heritage with pride.
**But it will happen only with individual effort. ***Help make it happen!

Re: Cape Hatteras - Act Now #30104 08/10/98 07:33 PM
Joined: Dec 1969
Posts: 1,042
LamarB Offline
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Joined: Dec 1969
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Here's the latest on Cape Hatteras Lighthouse from Cheryl Roberts of the Outer Banks Lighthouse Society:

Lighthouse Relocation is the Best Value

Opponents of the planned relocation of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse say the $12 million price tag for the move is too exensive, and that the National Park
Service should instead opt for a $6.4 million groin and beach nourishment project designed to halt the advancing ocean. But supporters of the move say relocation foes such as Hugh Morton need to check their calculations if they want taxpayers to get the most for their money.
The relocation of the lighthouse will preserve the famous landmark for at least 100 years. A fourth groin, with an estimated cost that has climbed from $2 million in April of this year to a current $6.4 million, is only
designed to protect the light for a maximum of 20 years. Following that, groin proponents
admit the lighthouse will have to be relocated, with an inflationary price tag
well above the current move costs.
The cost per annum for relocation is $120,000 per year, with no adjustment
necessary for inflation since the money will be spent within the next fiscal year. By comparison, the cost for the groin project is $320,000 per year PLUS a minimum of $10 million (at current values) for relocation once the new groin fails.
Morton's critics say the fourth groin proposal is a "pig in a poke" for taxpayers. Not only is the groin illegal under state and federal law, but it constitutes a retreat from North Carolina's prohibitions against beach hardening that will have far-reaching effects.
Dr. Stanley Riggs, an expert on the geology and ecology of the Outer Banks
at East Carolina University, says construction of a groin along the fragile
barrier island beachfront will lead the state down a slippery slope.
"Have we not learned anything from the ongoing loss of structures and miles of coastal highway each winter when numerous nor'east storms take their toll?" Riggs asked in a recent article for The Charlotte Observer newspaper.
"The lessons of hurricanes Fran and Bertha have already been forgotten as our leaders follow their politcally expedient path paved by funds of the wealthy pursuing their uninformed personal agendas."
The small but vocal minority on Hatteras Island who oppose the move are fond of saying the lighthouse is "theirs." Although it is easy to see how a small community that has earned so much from the lighthouse's presence in their community can feel a firm attachment to the landmark, it is puzzling to see the
same merchants and property owners willing to sacrifice the lighthouse for a few more years of profits.
The Hatteras light is a symbol of the country and the rich maritime heritage of the state. It is an unique landmark that needs to be protected for future generations, not held hostage by the agendas of a few beachfront
business owners.
The state coastal management division has consistently opposed calls for construction of a fourth groin. Environmental groups promise a lengthy court battle if Buxton property owners and other developers try to change the current regulations against beach hardening.
"In reality, a [fourth groin] would never be built, since these structures are illegal under State law; instead the whole matter would simply be tied up in the courts until a storm claimed the lighthouse. In addition, the Congress has also made it clear that it will not fund activities, such as a groin, which are inconsistent with state and federal laws," said a spokesman for U.S. Sen.
Lauch Faircloth, a firm supporter of the lighthouse relocation plan.
Those close to the issue say that it appears that Mr. Morton is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars, some of which was contributed by North Carolina school children a decade ago in an effort to force the
National Park Service to accept a plan to save the lighthouse that no qualified scientific experts support.
History has shown that Morton has a myopic view of the future when it comes to heritage tourism. The battleship U.S.S. North Carolina, another of Morton's schemes, sits rusting at its berth, the victim of Morton's short-sightedness and lack of understanding about the long-term costs of maintaining historic artifacts.
A state-wide effort is now underway to bail Morton's battleship out of hock before it slips under the water. Fortunately for the U.S.S. North Carolina, continued funding may keep it afloat until a more permanent solution can be found.
But, as the experts continue to say, the lighthouse simply doesn't have time to wait.
The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, and the American taxpayers, deserve the most
economical and feasible solution to the plight of the light. As study after study continues to show, that solution is the safe relocation of the lighthouse away from the advancing ocean and back to its original historic context 1,600 feet from the Atlantic.

Our society has been reminded that as the vote for relocation draws near sometime in September, writing to Regula and his colleague, Debbie Weatherly is of utmost importance to make sure the facts get through to those who are far-removed from the situation. You can write Regula:
Chairman Ralph Regula
2309 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515

and Debbie Weatherly
Interior Appropriations Committee
B308 Rayburn House Office Building
Wahsington, D.C. 20515
Phone: (202) 225-3081
E-mail : debbie.weatherly@mail.house.gov


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