Wednesday, February 15, 2006

Offshore Oil Drilling and the NC Coast

Talk about drilling for oil off the North Carolina coast has come up before and although there is a moratorium for NC until 2012, it still sends shivers down our spines. Congress is currently debating opening some new areas to oil drilling and there are two bills competing to determine where the new areas will be. Also up for debate in one of the bills is standardization of the definition of federal waters. In North Carolina and Virginia federally controlled waters start just three miles offshore, but other states have significantly larger areas of state jurisdiction. In Florida federal jurisdiction doesn't begin until 100 miles offshore. This is especially important in light of the White House's announcement last week that the administration would like to pursue oil exploration off the coast of Virginia. North Carolina should be able to stop oil drilling if the public votes it down as we hope they would. A little more waters under the state's jurisdiction would give residents a little more control of their own fate. We promise to keep our eyes on this one and will let you know more as we hear it. Call or write your Congressional representatives and let them know you feel North Carolina's most valuable natural resources are in the sea not under it. More on the competing bills is available from the Winston-Salem Journal.

Archive Link 0 Comments Tell a Friend