Dearest Editor,

My name is Rylie Newman and I am a freshman Political Science major at NC State. Originally, I hail from the small coastal town of Swan Quarter, North Carolina located in North Carolina’s 3rd Congressional District, which includes all of our state’s coastline, with the exception of Wilmington and its southern neighbors.

I am writing on behalf of my home district to mourn the loss of our beloved congressman, Representative Walter B. Jones, who has served us since 1995. Jones’ fervent support and advocacy for the oftentimes underrepresented Eastern North Carolina won the hearts of his constituents and government officials alike.

It is my greatest hope that the legacy of Representative Jones will carry on in the wake of his death, and that his successor furthers his tireless work and dedication to Eastern North Carolina, especially as our district edges closer to a decision that could reverse the countless hours of advocacy that Representative Jones has put into protecting our coastline.

In January 2018, the Department of the Interior released a plan to open North Carolina’s entire coastline for offshore drilling, a proposal that Representative Jones strongly opposed as he understood the multitude of repercussions that would affect North Carolina’s tourism, commercial fishing and other industries, not to mention the detrimental effects on our environment and marine life.

Within the next few weeks, the Department of the Interior will release their next proposal for offshore drilling. After this second release, the public will have 90 days to respond. In this time period, it will be the responsibility of North Carolinians to gather the attention of our senators to speak for an already underrepresented district which has just recently lost its most prominent voice. I hope that our state can rally together to continue the legacy of Representative Jones and protect our coast from the catastrophes that accompany offshore drilling.

Regards,

Rylie Newman