Beaufort County needs the jobs — the financial investment, the addition to the tax base — which Martin Marietta Materials would bring courtesy of its open-pit mine.

The county doesn’t need the release of yet-undetermined pollutants into nutrient-sensitive waterways.

The county doesn’t need anything that would harm wildlife, lessen the quality of human life or deter people from moving to its communities.

We’re burdened with a number of unanswered questions about the effects the proposed mine could have on the local environment. We hope to obtain answers to those questions in the coming days.

For now, we urge people on both sides of this issue to attend the Beaufort County commissioners’ meeting on Monday. Sign up to speak during the public-comments portion of that session.

We encourage anyone harboring concerns about the mine to contact state and federal officials responsible for overseeing the permitting process.

Through Jan. 18, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is accepting written comments on the mine’s impacts  on wetlands in the project area. Comments may be mailed to William Wescott, P.O. Box 1000, Washington, NC 27889.

More contact information will be published as it becomes available.

If you live here, this is your county. Stay engaged.