Offshore oil poses threat to booming coastal economies – Charleston Post Courier

Summer is just getting started, and millions already are enjoying the beach. The AAA estimated that 39.3 million people hit the road over the Memorial Day holiday, making it one of the busiest travel weekends on record. For many, the journey ended with a blanket on the sand and waves lapping on the shore.

Beaches are the workhorse engines that drive our coastal economies. From Maine to Hawaii, beaches attract an endless stream of visitors who patronize local hotels, shops, and restaurants, contributing over $100 billion to our GDP every year.

However, our nations coasts are now under grave threat. In recent weeks, the Trump administration has announced plans to expand offshore drilling, eliminate beach water quality grants, and reverse climate change policies. These proposals will cause permanent damage to our nations magnificent coasts if we dont hold our federal leaders accountable.

On April 28, President Trump signed an executive order to expand offshore oil drilling in U.S. waters. The order directs the Department of the Interior to develop a new five-year oil- and gas-leasing program, putting the Atlantic coast, the Pacific coast, Floridas Gulf Coast, and the Arctic Ocean at risk of new oil rigs.

Offshore oil drilling is a dirty and destructive industry that pollutes the ocean, destroys beaches and puts coastal economies at risk. The 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and the more recent 2015 spill in Santa Barbara, California, both did major damage to beaches and the tourism industry in those areas, previewing what is to come if we allow more drilling to take place.

Coastal communities and businesses are fighting back. On the Atlantic coast a region at the top of the administrations wish list for new drilling over 120 municipalities, 1,200 elected officials, and an alliance representing 35,000 businesses and 500,000 fishing families have publicly opposed offshore drilling.

The oil and gas industry is eager to turn a profit at the expense of our coasts, but the oil lobby cant control the voices of the citizens. People are speaking out, and their members of Congress are listening. Over 100 House Democrats and Republicans recently signed a letter urging Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke not to allow any new offshore oil and gas drilling.

The communities and citizens who depend on clean coastlines must continue to demand that our government protect them.

Our beaches are also under threat from pollution. The health of millions of beachgoers depends on safe water quality along the coasts. EPA water quality monitoring tells us when its safe to go in the water resulting in over 20,000 beach closures and advisories issued each year. Yet, President Trumps budget proposal for 2018 eliminates all funding for the EPA BEACH Grants program, which supports water quality monitoring at popular beaches across the U.S.

Funding for the BEACH Grants program is critical to providing beachgoers with the information they need to avoid getting sick at the beach. The program helps states pay for testing and public notification programs, and often spurs local solutions to pollution problems. If beaches are contaminated and unsafe, it will not only take away a beloved American pastime, but coastal tourism and recreation economies that provide 2.15 million jobs nationwide will suffer.

With the administrations lack of support for the BEACH Grants program, we must rely on Congress to provide the necessary leadership to protect clean water and public health. A day at the beach should not make you and your family sick.

The inspiring pull of the beach has endured for generations, but we must act now to protect it for the future.

Pete Stauffer is environmental director at the Surfrider Foundation, a nonprofit focused on clean water and coastal preservation headquartered in San Clemente, Calif., with local chapters across the country, including Charleston and Myrtle Beach.

Read more here:

Offshore oil poses threat to booming coastal economies - Charleston Post Courier