VIRGINIA BEACH

The City Council is set to take a major step tonight to oppose offshore oil and gas exploration after years of swaying on the issue.

This new position would come seven years after the council had voted to support drilling off Virginia Beachs shores. In 2015, the council took a neutral stance.

Now members are set to change course again under pressure from the tourism industry, hotel association and civic and environmental groups.

Eight of the City Councils 11 members said they will vote tonight to oppose offshore oil and gas drilling as well as seismic testing. The new position would be a recommendation to President Donald Trump, who will make the final decision on offshore drilling.

In April, Trump ordered that the Obama-era ban on offshore drilling in the Atlantic and Arctic oceans be reviewed.

Mayor Will Sessoms said he plans to stand against offshore drilling to protect the beaches and tourism industry.

I dont think I have ever changed my mind on issues very easily, but I did on this, he said.

Councilman Bobby Dyer said he doesnt want drilling to become a reason for the Navy to consider leaving Hampton Roads, though he acknowledged that the service has not asked the council to take a position on the issue or threatened to leave.

We need to make sure we dont jeopardize our relation with the Navy or adversely affect their operations, Dyer said.

Councilman John Uhrin had supported offshore drilling to create jobs. He said he changed his mind after listening to the community and seeing how a major oil spill like the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico could hurt the economy.

It turns out we are really one of the only coastal cities in the mid-Atlantic that doesnt have an opinion on this topic, Uhrin said. I felt it was time.

Zach Jarjoura, the Sierra Clubs Hampton Roads conservation program manager, said his group plans to ask other city councils in the next few months to consider adopting anti-drilling resolutions. He said the push likely will start in Norfolk.

The oil moves. If theres a spill, who knows where it will go? Jarjoura said. It has the potential to impact every city in Hampton Roads.

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Virginia Beach City Council will oppose offshore oil and gas ... - Virginian-Pilot