Gov. Deal’s silence on coastal oil exploration is deafening
Nathan Deal’s term as Georgia’s governor ends in less than 11 months. Given his continued silence on potential oil and natural gas field exploration off our coast, we’re left to wonder if he’ll take a position on the issue before he leaves office.
Deal is the lone holdout among 22 coastal state governors in declaring a stance on President Donald Trump’s plan to allow energy company surveys of the Atlantic Ocean seafloor. These seismic tests are the initial step in a process that could lead to offshore drilling.
In all fairness to the governor, he is dealing with a family emergency. His wife, Sandra, underwent breast cancer surgery in January and is currently undergoing chemotherapy. Deal missed last week’s Savannah-Chatham Day at the Capitol, an event he’s attended throughout his two terms leading the state, to be at the first lady’s side.
Still, Deal is performing his other job duties. He named nine appointees to state boards Friday, introduced criminal justice reform legislation last Wednesday and proposed a state tax code overhaul on Tuesday. He issued a statement about another key Coastal Georgia issue — the federal government’s funding for the harbor deepening project — a week ago today.
Yet he remains mum on the offshore drilling issue. Our state legislative delegation, led by Sen. Lester Jackson and House representatives Carl Wayne Gilliard and Ron Stephens, filed identical resolutions opposing all exploration activities earlier this month. Those resolutions are expected to be adopted before the session ends in March.
Deal’s press secretary said last week the governor “does not comment on pending legislation.” That approach would indicate he might take a position once Georgia General Assembly rules on the resolutions. In the meantime, he’s missing an opportunity. Florida won’t see drilling activity along its Atlantic coastline because that state’s governor, Rick Scott, vehemently opposes it. Scott, like Deal a Republican, met with Trump’s interior secretary, Ryan Zinke, five days after the administration announced plans to open Atlantic waters to exploration.
Zinke acknowledged the governor’s push back led to taking drilling “off the table” in Florida.
“Our tactic was open everything up, then meet with the governors, meet with the stakeholders so that when we shaped it, it was right,” Zinke told reporters after the Florida decision. “The president made it very clear that local voices count.”
First, good for Trump. Putting the drilling debate aside, his allowing state leaders a significant say on issues that impact their constituents matches a long-held Republican tenet.
Second, shame on Deal. The chance to curb drilling plans came and, quite possibly, went. As his peers in North Carolina and South Carolina voiced their positions — both against exploration and drilling — Deal said nothing beyond voicing his doubts about Georgia’s coastline being a profitable offshore drilling locale.
Deal’s reticence has also stoked fears that he will go against the legislature and support exploration. His U.S. Congressional voting record hints at such an attitude — in four House terms representing districts north of Atlanta between 2003 and 2010, Deal voted against tax incentives for renewable energy, energy production and conservation and no on removing oil and gas exploration subsidies and extending a drilling moratorium.
He would have powerful allies in supporting exploration. Georgia’s leadership at the federal level, specifically the coast’s U.S. Congressman, Rep. Buddy Carter, and Sen. David Perdue, advocate for American energy independence and voice an “all of the above” approach.
Carter stressed the importance of collecting a full energy resource inventory while visiting with our editorial board just last week.
“This is my home, and I’m not going to do anything to jeopardize the coast,” Carter said. “Yet it’s shortsighted to not get an inventory and see what’s out there at least. We have to have energy independence for our national security. We have to keep an open mind about it.”
Carter is consistent on energy — he stood up to Georgia Power and supported solar energy initiatives while serving in the Georgia General Assembly. But his stance on oil exploration means Deal won’t feel federal pressure to oppose seafloor surveying.
And with his governorship winding down, Deal has little political incentive to stand with the state legislature. Doing so won’t earn him any chits to be played later.
Deal’s stance on exploration and drilling will be his own. When, and if, he takes one.