Attempts to Bring Offshore Drilling To NC Coasts Face Challenges

Prospects of offshore drilling are troubling to environment groups, as well as local politicians and coastal industry (Source)

Offshore drilling is not an issue that many North Carolinians spend time thinking about. After all, drilling for oil and natural gas has not taken place on the Atlantic seaboard since the 1980s. Given that most coastal territory is under federal jurisdiction, however, it would only take a shift in policy to change this. Under the current administration, the possibility is enough to prompt an environmental policy group, Environment North Carolina, to release a major report on the risks of pollution should the plans go into effect. This has jumpstarted debate on the issue, but any potential fight is sure to be a long and slow one.

The idea of reopening the Atlantic for drilling was brought up by the Obama administration as early as 2010. As these plans developed, they were enthusiastically supported by Southeastern Republican governors like North Carolina’s Pat McCrory. However, progress was slow, and by 2016, Obama faced enough pressure to reverse his stance and abandon plans to allow offshore drilling.

The dynamic changed once Donald Trump became president. Soon after coming into office, he revivified efforts to allow offshore drilling in the Atlantic. This time, though, the plans met hostile reaction from local policymakers. The new Democratic governor of North Carolina, Roy Cooper, has strongly opposed the move. In addition, even many Republican politicians and voters have started to worry about the costs of drilling, as an oil spill or other disaster could wreck local economies. As of early 2019, the plans were reported to have been delayed indefinitely amid legal challenges, but that is no guarantee that they might not start up again at a later point.

Supporters of offshore drilling, chief among them the fossil fuel industry itself, point to the possibility of job creation and achieving energy independence. Opponents, however, bring up a wide range of human and environmental concerns. The Environment North Carolina report points to various risks of spillage and pollution from offshore and onshore infrastructure. Seismic testing to find oil and gas deposits has also become a particularly controversial issue due to the potential harm to wildlife populations. In addition, regulators worry that drilling would harm the tourism and fishing industries, while environmental groups warn that it could even threaten military operations off the coast.

 Although lobbyists continue to push for offshore drilling, they seem to be fighting a losing battle. While polls from several years ago showed high support for offshore drilling in North Carolina, the picture has now changed. A 2018 High Point University poll found majority disapproval in the state, while a national Pew poll found not only that Americans tend to be against offshore drilling, but that opposition is particularly strong in coastal communities. 

Advocates of offshore drilling face many obstacles. Local opposition is both well-funded and well-organized, and the political climate turns increasingly against them. It appears the Atlantic Ocean is, for the time being, closed for business.