Does local opposition impact offshore drilling decisions? – News … – StarNewsOnline.com

Wilmington and other coastal governments don't want it off NC, but do their concerns make a difference in Washington?

SOUTHEASTERN N.C. -- Local communities are again lining up to oppose efforts by the federal government to open up the Mid-Atlantic to seismic testing for potential offshore drilling.

But those local resolutions, like one adopted last week by the Wilmington City Council and other local governments, are not legally binding as the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) moves forward to review seismic testing off the East Coast -- including North Carolina.

And, in the midst of adopting them, some local officials question their efficacy.

"I don't particularly think local resolutions have an impact," Carolina Beach Mayor Dan Wilcox said. "They don't hurt. But do I think the federal government pays attention to them? No, I don't think so."

Tracey Moriarty, spokeswoman with BOEM, confirmed that such resolutions are not binding on either the oil and gas leasing program or on the Atlantic Geological and Geophysical Activities program.

"That being said, with regard to BOEM's National OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program, public input is critical to this process," she said.

Moriarty added that the agency would solicit public comments, including at public meetings, "at least three points" during the process -- during the drafting of a decision document and while preparing environmental impact statements.

Putting coast 'at risk'

In April, President Donald Trump signed an executive order reversing former President Barack Obama's five-year ban on seismic testing.

Moriarty said the agency has received permit applications from six companies looking to conduct seismic surveys in the Atlantic.

"Before the permits can be issued, careful environmental analysis will be done to ensure the safety of the marine ecosystem," she said.

The president's order has prompted action from some local and state officials, including Cooper, who submitted formal comments to BOEM "to convey North Carolina's opposition to oil and gas leasing for offshore drilling on North Carolina's coast."

"Offshore drilling would put North Carolinas coastal economy at risk and thats why Governor Cooper joined governors from both parties along the Atlantic coast to oppose drilling," Cooper's spokesman Ford Porter said. "The Department of Environmental Quality has issued formal comments against seismic testing and oil and gas leasing in waters off of North Carolina, and the Cooper administration will continue to pursue ways to protect our coast from this threat."

Kure Beach Mayor Emilie Swearingen said she believes the goal is not to influence Trump himself, but employees within BOEM.

"Nothing we have to say would make any difference to the president," she said. "I hope they would make a difference with people in his administration."

The president's move comes as U.S. Rep. David Rouzer, R-N.C., is cosponsoring legislation called the Streamlining Environmental Approvals Act of 2017, which is intended to decrease the time for permit approvals under the Marine Mammal Protection Act -- including for seismic testing.

In an interview last month, Rouzer said he is a supporter of testing for offshore oil resources. He said the issue is one that has varying perspectives from residents in his district, which stretches from Brunswick County in the south to the Raleigh suburbs.

"As you go further inland, there's more and more support for exploration because people recognize that energy development is one of the key job developers," Rouzer said.

'We have a voice'

In previous years, hundreds of municipalities and counties adopted resolutions opposed to seismic testing and offshore drilling -- something the environmental advocacy group Oceana said led to the Obama administration's decision last year.

"The federal government has to listen to the will of the states and the states are saying they don't want this," Oceana spokesman Dustin Cranor said.

Wilmington Mayor Bill Saffo said he believes the resolutions can have an impact if they're adopted up and down the coast.

"Obviously, we have a voice. And the only voice we have is resolutions in opposition to offshore drilling," he said. Numerous resolutions "send a clear message to the administration and people thinking about doing this that people who would be impacted by offshore drilling are in opposition to it."

Reporter Tim Buckland can be reached at 910-343-2217 or Tim.Buckland@StarNewsOnline.com.

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Does local opposition impact offshore drilling decisions? - News ... - StarNewsOnline.com