Posted: Wednesday, July 29, 2015 9:40 am
In unanimously approving a resolution to oppose offshore oil drilling and seismic testing earlier this month, the Wilmington City Council joined about 60 other local governments along the East Coast to come out against a proposal by the Obama Administration that would open up the coast of North Carolina to oil exploration. And with that action, the question becomes more pressing: Where do the local governments of Carteret and Onslow counties stand on this critical issue? While the towns of Beaufort and Emerald Isle have adopted resolutions of oppostion to seismic testing, there has been little official discussion among local governments on the Crystal Coast when it comes to offshore drilling for oil.
Up and down the Atlantic Coast, from the North Carolina Outer Banks to South Carolina’s Low Country, local governments are taking a stand, urging federal and state officials not to allow the influx of an industry that could forever change the coast we all love.
And yet, elected officials in Onslow and Carteret counties stand mute. For these two counties – and the cities and towns in them – there is no greater economic driver than tourism. Clearly, offshore drilling and offshore drilling mishaps do not mix well with tourism.
Is this just another example of falling along party lines? Is it because the Republican Party has become the standard-bearer for Big Oil? If it is because the officials we elect are members of the GOP, than, if ever there was a need to depart from the political company you keep, this is it, because our environment and our number one industry know no political boundaries.
Tourism is the backbone for the Mid- and South Atlantic states that are affected. Commercial fishing generates about $263 million a year for Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. Now would be a good time for those issues to be fully debated, before the derricks are floated into place – perhaps as close as 30 miles from our pristine beaches, if Gov. Pat McCrory gets his way. As it stands, the order opening up the area for exploration is limited to 50 miles offshore. The McCrory administration has asked that the limit be relaxed to 30 miles.
Given the fact that North Carolina’s economic gains from this highly risky proposition are minimal – due to the fact that our state will simply be bypassed when it comes to collecting and transporting the crude, and revenue sharing from offshore production is absent except along the Gulf of Mexico – it makes no sense to risk losing the Golden Goose.
Our elected officials need to heed constituents’ calls to protect the coast and find the courage to prepare and consider a resolution in opposition to seismic testing and drilling for oil off our coast. It is time for commissioners and council members to break the silence and be heard.
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Wednesday, July 29, 2015 9:40 am.
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