By Staff
to lobby congressional
delegation in person
Beaufort County commissioners are putting their wheels where their mouths are.
Bravo to them.
The commissioners, who have been aggressively lobbying for PCS Phosphate, will hit the road next week on their way to Washington, D.C.
As federal officials review the mining company’s application to expand its Aurora operation, the commissioners hope to sway members of the area’s congressional delegation in PCS’ favor.
The timing of the group’s trip is critical because a decision on the PCS application — under review by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ D.C. office — will come this week.
The commissioners recently spent $50,000 to hire the Ferguson Group lobbying firm to help pave the way for the D.C. visit. We questioned the integrity of how that decision came about — in a private meeting between commissioners and PCS officials — but we believe the money will have been well spent.
We hope the combined efforts of the lobbying firm and the commissioners’ will prove to be the impetus the Corps needs to rule in favor of PCS. The commissioners are correct to lobby in person: Gong the extra mile — in this case about 300 of them — should cement in the minds of our congressional delegation the seriousness of the situation.
The visit parallels other community efforts to rally behind PCS.
E-mails urging voters to contact their federal representatives have been sent through several large e-mail lists, including that of the Washington-Beaufort County Chamber of Commerce.
As chamber Executive Director Catherine Glover said this week: “This is a huge deal.”
Yes, it is.
We have been critical of our commissioners in the past, but we’ve not questioned their devotion to Beaufort County. This is their chance to shine, and we’re confident they will do us proud.