FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 21, 2016
Contact: Katie Todd; katie@nclcv.org; 919-244-5868
NCLCV Shares ‘Disappointment’ Over Southeast Exclusion from Federal Drilling Protections
Vows to continue pushing for permanent safeguards from NC’s coastal communities & economies
RALEIGH: Yesterday, President Obama announced permanent protection for 3.8 million acres of the Atlantic Ocean from offshore oil and gas development using his authority under section 12(a) of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act. In particular, it protects 31 canyons stretching from offshore New England to the Chesapeake Bay. North Carolina’s coastal region was not included in this announcement.
Carrie Clark, executive director of the NC League of Conservation Voters, issued a response:
“After careful consideration and review of the White House announcement, we must express our disappointment with President Obama and the Department of the Interior as our North Carolina coast was not included in federal protections from offshore oil and gas drilling.
North Carolina proved that banning offshore drilling was a salient issue for our citizens. The two public hearings held in our state during the initial 5-year plan review boasted record turnout for any Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) hearing, turning out more than 600 attendees in Wilmington and over 1,000 in the Outer Banks. Over 90% of North Carolina’s coastal municipalities passed formal resolutions opposing offshore drilling and seismic blasting. Dozens of business leaders, elected officials, and community voices traveled to Washington D.C. multiple times to meet with federal staff to emphasize how critical protecting North Carolina’s coast from drilling is for our environment, economy, and quality of life. And, more than 5,000 of our members took at least one action to request President Obama do all in his powers to restrict offshore drilling from taking place in the Mid-Atlantic.
While we applaud President Obama’s extended protections to our northern neighbors and to regions in the Arctic, we will continue to press for permanent safeguards to keep dangerous offshore extraction from being a part of North Carolina’s coastal landscape.”
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