Coast Watch: Cooper Pledges Lawsuit if NC Stays in Drilling Plan

Continuing his opposition to oil and gas drilling off the North Carolina coast, Gov. Roy Cooper last week pledged to sue if the NC coast stays in the US Interior Department’s new plans.

Cooper issued the threat of litigation as part of his continuing efforts to emphasize the strength of North Carolina’s opposition to offshore drilling here. At a public forum joined by business leaders and local elected officials in Wrightsville Beach, Cooper said, “North Carolina has made its opposition to offshore drilling clear. Following the public comment period, if our state is not granted the same exemption that Florida received, we will take legal action to protect our coastal communities and prevent drilling off the North Carolina coast.”

Other opposition to the drilling plan continued as well, emphasizing the bipartisan nature of the broad conclusion that offshore drilling is bad for the North Carolina coast. U.S. Rep. Walter Jones, Jr. (R-NC3) called for the Interior Department to hold an additional public hearing on the plan in coastal Dare County, where opposition to drilling is strong.

As noted last week, NCLCV has signed onto a national letter requesting more public hearings on Interior’s draft drilling plan. In the meantime, NCLCV supporters can directly add your voices to the wave of opposition to drilling off North Carolina’s sensitive and priceless coast here.

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