Executive Watch: Cooper Comes Out Strong Against Offshore Drilling

“Not off our coast.” Gov. Roy Cooper summed up his position on oil- and gas-drilling off the North Carolina coast in four words last week.

Speaking to a crowd gathered at Fort Macon State Park, on Carteret County’s Bogue Banks barrier island, Cooper announced that North Carolina would officially oppose the Trump Administration’s proposal to open the NC coast to offshore drilling.

Trump’s Interior Department re-opened the Obama Administration’s five-year offshore resources plan (just finalized last year), in an effort to expand drilling to include areas off the Atlantic coast.

Cooper called the potential for offshore drilling here “a threat looming over this coastline that we love and the prosperity it brings.” He particularly noted the more than $3 billion a year and tens of thousands of jobs produced for the state’s economy by coastal tourism and fisheries.

At his announcement last week, Cooper was joined by local officials, citizen group representatives, and other coastal residents opposed to the risks of offshore drilling and seismic blasting. Like Cooper, these supporters believe that the high risks to the state’s environment and economy far outweigh the modest potential benefits. In terms of the need for energy, the potential for continuing clean renewable energy development makes risky offshore drilling in the Atlantic unnecessary.

Cooper acknowledged the more than 30 coastal communities, over 200 business and citizen groups, and bipartisan elected officials who oppose drilling off the North Carolina coast. Cooper’s outright opposition to offshore drilling here represents a reversal of his predecessor’s position, and takes North Carolina off the list of states whose governors support drilling.

Dan Crawford, NCLCV’s Director of Governmental Relations, said after Cooper’s announcement, “Today shows that Governor Cooper not only hears the concerns of his constituents – he acts on them. North Carolina has been waiting for a leader willing to come out swinging against fossil fuel special interests for four long years. Governor Cooper doubled-down on his commitment to protect North Carolina by denouncing any federal plans that would allow drilling or seismic blasting off our coast. NCLCV is proud to work with a leader who not only talks the talk but continues to walk the walk in protecting our communities, our jobs, and our clean energy future. His announcement sent a clear message from Atlantic Beach to Washington D.C. – North Carolina’s coast is not for sale. We hope POTUS checks his Twitter feed.”

Cooper’s full comments to the federal government agencies regarding offshore drilling can be read here.

Public comments on the proposed expansion of offshore drilling will be accepted by the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) through August 17. For more information, visit the Don’t Drill NC website.

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