It is in the national interest to look for oil and gas off the coast of South Carolina and nearby states, but federal officials who will decide whether to approve drilling aren’t close to a final decision, the director of the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management said Tuesday in Columbia.
Speaking at a meeting organized by backers of drilling, the bureau’s Abigail Hopper said the public will have another opportunity to comment on offshore drilling early next year. She said it would be late 2016 before the ultimate decision is made.
The Obama administration has proposed opening the South Atlantic to drilling for the first time in three decades, while also allowing for the possible use of seismic testing to find offshore energy supplies.
But the drilling plan is not final and the federal government can drop the South Atlantic if sufficient evidence is received, as it has in other areas, federal officials acknowledged. This year, the Obama administration dropped one small area — off the Alaska coast — that had been under consideration for oil and gas development, Hopper said.
“It is way too premature to say that we are asking to gamble with your resources,’’ Hopper said, addressing environmental concerns about drilling. “I think what we are doing is saying we are going to take a look. We have a responsibility to take a look. I think it is in our national interests to take a look. A decision has not been made.’’
The search for oil and gas off of South Carolina has pitted more than 20 coastal city governments opposed to drilling for environmental and tourism reasons against pro-business Gov. Nikki Haley and oil and gas boosters in the state’s congressional delegation, including Republican Reps. Jeff Duncan and Tom Rice. Cities opposed to drilling include Charleston, Myrtle Beach, Hilton Head Island, North Myrtle Beach and Beaufort.
Hopper said her agency will weigh all comments.
Although Tuesday’s forum was sponsored by the Consumer Energy Alliance, a national pro-drilling group, many of the approximately 60 people attending oppose offshore drilling. They included representatives of Oceana, the Conservation Voters of South Carolina, the S.C. Wildlife Federation and the S.C. Coastal Conservation League. Many opponents worry about oil spills and the possible impact on beaches, but boosters say drilling could bring thousands of jobs to South Carolina.
The bureau’s next step is to release a draft plan in early 2016 on proposed oil and gas leases off the South Atlantic coast. At the same time, the bureau will release a draft environmental impact statement that could help guide the agency. In both cases, the public would have a chance to comment, Hopper said. A final decision on offshore drilling leases would be made by 2017, according to plans.
The search for oil and gas involves seismic testing, which relies on booming cannons that can disturb dolphins, whales and other forms of marine life. Seven businesses have applied for permits to conduct seismic testing. The ocean energy agency has yet to approve a permit.
Most of those on Tuesday’s roundtable panel to discuss drilling spoke in favor of offshore energy exploration or development in South Carolina waters. They included S.C. Manufacturers Alliance director Lewis Gossett and state Rep. Stephen Goldfinch, R-Georgetown, as well as Murrells Inlet resident Bill Crowther, president of the pro-drilling Atlantic Energy Alliance. Hamilton Davis, energy issues director with the S.C. Coastal Conservation League, was the lone panelist to speak against drilling
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