FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 27, 2017
Contact: Katie Todd; katie@nclcv.org; 919-244-5868
Trump willing to put polluter profits ahead of local economies, communities
Allowing the possibility for drilling off North Carolina’s coast is short-sighted
RALEIGH: Based on the announcement from Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke, President Trump is expected to take unprecedented action to begin undoing federal offshore drilling policies enacted by the Obama Administration, including a potential effort to eliminate permanent protections granted to the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans.
North Carolina’s coastline was included in the Department of Interior’s original 2017 – 2022 Outer Continental Shelf drilling lease considerations. But, after more than 15 months of growing local opposition and data highlighting the numerous risks that opening the Mid-Atlantic to offshore drilling would pose to local economies, communities, and ecosystems, DOI removed the Mid-Atlantic from its final plan.
As of today, more than 120 East Coast municipalities, 1200 elected officials, and the Business Alliance for Protecting the Atlantic (BACAP), which represents more than 12,000 businesses, have publicly opposed seismic airgun blasting and/or offshore drilling. More than 360 Atlantic Coast businesses sent a letter urging the Obama Administration to take the Atlantic out of the proposed program for oil and gas drilling on the Outer Continental Shelf. A coalition of North Carolina legislators shared their concerns with the previous administration on what opening drilling in the Mid-Atlantic could do to the Old North State and our environmental and economic futures.
Carrie Clark, executive director of the NC League of Conservation Voters, issued a response:
“North Carolinians who care about healthy beaches and clean oceans will not be deterred by pro-polluter President Trump. We have won the fight to protect our coast before, and we will claim victory again. Keeping North Carolina’s coast closed to drilling is not just an environmental issue; such dangerous activity would threaten the livelihoods and jobs of more than 50,000 North Carolinians who work in tourism, fishing, and recreation. This is the very time of year when our coastal communities are coming into full bloom, generating more than $2 billion for our state’s economy. A strong coastal economy doesn’t just benefit coastal communities; it benefits all of us. Elected leaders across the state joined with business owners, concerned citizens, tourism boards, fisherman, surfers, and students to stand for an oil-rig free North Carolina coast. President Trump cannot undo that commitment with the stroke of his pen.”
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NC League of Conservation Voters is a nonpartisan advocacy organization dedicated to protecting, preserving, and enhancing North Carolina’s natural environment. NCLCV has been working to protect North Carolina’s environment and our citizen’s health for nearly 50 years, turning environmental values into North Carolina priorities. NCLCV’s vision for the future of North Carolina is that all citizens and our elected decision-makers will better understand and appreciate North Carolina’s unique natural environment, and the integral role it plays in North Carolina’s economy and quality of life. Visit nclcv.org for more information.
