Myrtle Beach City Council will wait two weeks before tackling a proposed resolution that opposes seismic testing and offshore drilling along South Carolina’s coast.
Councilman Mike Lowder suggested council postpone the discussion early Tuesday afternoon during council’s workshop, saying there would not be enough time to debate the issue before the 2 p.m. council meeting. The workshop began at 9 a.m.
At the 2 p.m. meeting, Mayor John Rhodes said the city did not plan to take public comment on offshore drilling and instead suggested those for and against the issue have a separate meeting. Each side would be given 30 minutes to present their argument and City Council would then make a decision.
The Conservation Voters of South Carolina had organized a group of about 30 people to speak against offshore drilling Tuesday during the 2 p.m. meeting in Myrtle Beach.
“The resolution itself doesn’t really do anything,” said Alan Hancock, campaigns director with Conservation Voters. “It’s up to the state and federal government, of course. But it sends a message.”
Council members on Tuesday were split on whether to offer a resolution opposing the testing.
The federal Bureau of Ocean and Energy Management is now taking comment on what should be included in environmental studies to decide whether areas in the Atlantic are opened to oil and gas development later this decade.
Lowder, Councilman Michael Chestnut and Councilman Wayne Gray said they wanted more information about what would be done before they could make a decision on whether they support the testing and drilling.
“I have no idea what seismic testing is,” Gray said. “I don’t know how it works. … I would like to entertain the discussion but I would like to have someone come in here and tell us more about it.”
Councilman Philip Render also said he wasn’t sure about all of the details of testing.
“At first blush, I have real concerns,” he said. “But at this point I don’t feel I have full command of the facts.”
Councilwoman Susan Grissom Means said she was ready to approve the resolution Tuesday, stating the city’s opposition to seismic testing and offshore drilling. Rhodes has said he would oppose either oil or natural gas drilling.
Councilman Randal Wallace said he was “100 percent in support of exploration.”
“There’s a lot of misinformation going around – even in that resolution,” he said. “I plan to fight to death [in favor of drilling].”
Surfside Beach also was expected to discuss taking a position on drilling during its meeting Tuesday night.
Grand Strand area municipalities that have not stated a position on offshore drilling include North Myrtle Beach, Pawleys Island, Georgetown, Horry County, and Georgetown County. Officials in Atlantic Beach could not be reached for comment.
Hancock said his group plans to come back to town to discuss their position against drilling. Wallace said he hopes to put together a group of experts to share the benefits of drilling at that time as well.
“But 30 minutes each isn’t a lot of time,” he said. “It’s a complicated issue and it deserves more than an hour of discussion.”
U.S. Rep. Tom Rice, R-Myrtle Beach, has said he favors oil exploration.
“I don’t know how you can make an intelligent decision about what you’re going to do if you don’t know what’s there,” Rice said.
But he wonders if offshore drilling is practical with prices low and drilling operations on land being closed down. He says states should have a say in where offshore drilling is allowed.
“I have always put a condition on my assent that it not be near tourism areas,” Rice said.
Gov. Nikki Haley also supports offshore drilling and is a member of the Outer Continental Shelf Governors Coalition, which has a mission statement that says it works to “influence a sensible path forward for the development of America’s offshore energy resources.”
Drilling proponents say it can help reduce dependence on foreign energy and create jobs and revenue.
Charleston City Council also was expected to discuss opposing offshore drilling. If it does, the city would become the largest in the state opposing offshore drilling.
At press time, seven coastal communities in South Carolina and 12 in North Carolina are on record against drilling.
Opponents of offshore drilling worry that spills could damage fisheries and the important coastal tourism industry. Supporters say drilling can be done safely and will mean jobs.
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