The Washington Post reports today that a Republican revolt is brewing along the Atlantic coast over the prospect of oil drilling off tourist-dependent shores:
The Obama administration is expected to finalize by early spring a plan that could allow limited oil and gas development off the coasts of four Southeastern states — Virginia, North and South Carolina, and Georgia. All four have heavily supported drilling in the past. But lately, resistance to the plan appears to be growing, particularly in coastal towns where politicians and business leaders are expressing doubts about whether oil and gas can deliver the economic benefits the industry's backers claim.
However, the Savannah Morning News says U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, a freshman whose district spans the entirety of the Georgia coast, has opted out of any such revolution. He’s refused to sign onto a bipartisan letter calling for the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to oppose seismic testing for offshore oil.
U.S. Sen. Mark Sanford of South Carolina is leading the GOP side of the effort. From the Morning News:
In an email …, Carter said he favors drilling off Georgia's coast, citing the estimated 5,000 jobs drilling could produce and the $700 million expected for the state budget by 2035 with revenue sharing in place.
"Opposition to seismic testing is not based in science," he said. "After four decades of seismic surveying activity and research around the world, there is no evidence that the sound from seismic surveys is harmful to marine mammals.
About the Author
