Group resisting offshore drilling and seismic testing in Atlantic hosting community forum in Carolina Forest – Myhorrynews

On April 28, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that overturned restrictions on offshore drilling and seismic testing (blasting) in several bodies of water in the U.S. including middle and southern parts of the Atlantic Ocean.

Those who may not know much about dangers and concerns regarding offshore oil and gas drilling and seismic testing in the Atlantic will soon get the chance to learn about them at a community forum in Carolina Forest.

The program will be hosted by the group Stop Offshore Drilling in the Atlantic (SODA), a local group originally based out of Georgetown County but that has since expanded to Charleston and Horry counties.

The nonprofit grassroots organization is comprised solely of volunteers with its mission, as its name suggests, to prevent offshore seismic testing and drilling for oil and gas along the Atlantic coast.

The event, the organizations first in Carolina Forest, is part of a series of forums centering on educating local residents on those subjects as well as providing updates on SODA.

The forum will be held on Aug. 1 at 7 p.m. at the Carolina Forest Recreation Center located on Carolina Forest Boulevard.

Speaking at the event will be SODA leader and Georgetown County resident Peg Howell, a former petroleum engineer, who will educate attendees, speak on the status of SODAs resistance against the federal government and talk about how they can join the fight against offshore drilling.

Howell recently spoke out against offshore drilling and seismic testing in the Atlantic and President Trumps executive order before the U.S. House Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources in Washington, D.C.

Looking at the entire Atlantic coast economy, nearly 1.4 million jobs and over $95 billion in gross domestic product rely on a healthy coast and ecosystem, mainly through fishing, tourism and recreation, Howell told the subcommittee during her testimony.

It is not in the economic interest of the state of South Carolina or its residents to support drilling in the Atlantic.

Members of SODA have said that some of the issues concerning offshore drilling for oil and gas and seismic blasting deal with endangering marine life and spills like the BP oil spill that happened in 2010.

We always say, where you drill, theres a spill, SODA spokesperson Joan Furlong of Myrtle Beach said.

Furlong recently spoke to Horry County Council at their meeting on July 11. She encouraged Council Chairman Mark Lazarus to draft a letter to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) in opposition to offshore drilling in the Atlantic during their public comment period.

I dont have to tell you how devastating one oil spill would be, Furlong told Lazarus, to our beaches, to our fisheries and our thriving tourist economy.

Lazarus agreed to send a letter to BOEM with assistance from the councils attorney, as well as draft a resolution that would oppose offshore drilling and seismic testing that will have a reading when council reconvenes in August.

We wouldnt want to be in support of something that could affect our [fishing] and tourism economies, Lazarus said.

Furlong said SODA members were thrilled with Lazarus reply and feels the support from S.C. officials including Governor Henry McMaster and U.S. congressmen Mark Sanford, Tom Rice, and Jim Clyburn, all of whom represent South Carolina, has been nearly unanimous.

Were very excited that council has taken this position and has stepped up to the plate, Furlong said. Chairman Lazarus has been very responsive.

The cities of Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach have already passed resolutions opposing offshore drilling and seismic testing, joining over 100 other S.C. municipalities and councils.

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Group resisting offshore drilling and seismic testing in Atlantic hosting community forum in Carolina Forest - Myhorrynews