The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Obama changes course, bars Atlantic drilling
The Obama administration withdrew its plan Tuesday to permit oil and gas drilling off the southeast Atlantic coast, yielding to opposition from coastal communities from Virginia to Georgia but dashing the hopes and expectations of many of those states’ top leaders.
The announcement by the Interior Department surprised many. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said the move was chiefly driven by the widespread concerns of coastal communities, as well as the military’s reservations about permitting drilling near some of its largest installations. The move also comes as oil prices have plunged to near record lows, which could ease some of the
political backlash.
“We heard from many corners that now is not the time to offer oil and gas leasing off the Atlantic coast,” Jewell said. “When you factor in conflicts with national defense, economic activities such as fishing and tourism, and opposition from many local communities, it simply doesn’t make sense to move forward with any lease sales in the coming five years.”
The decision represents a reversal of President Barack Obama’s previous offshore drilling plans and comes as he is trying to build an ambitious environmental legacy. It could also inject the issue into the presidential campaigns.
In January 2015, Obama drew the wrath of environmentalists and high praise from the oil industry and Southeastern governors after the Interior Department put forth a proposal that would have opened much of the southeastern Atlantic coast to offshore drilling for the first time.
The proposal came after governors, state legislators and senators from Georgia, Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina all expressed support for the drilling. Lawmakers in the state capitals saw new drilling as cre- ating jobs and bolstering state revenue.
But the offshore drilling proposal, which was not to be finalized until later this year, provoked a backlash from coastal communities including Norfolk, Virginia, which supports the world’s largest naval base; Charleston, South Carolina; and tiny tourist towns around Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. More than 100 of those coastal cities and towns signed resolutions asking Obama to shut down plans for new drilling.
Interior Department officials said Tuesday that the Pentagon had reservations about allowing drilling in the vicinity of the naval base.
The coastal opposition and inland support of the drilling was regional, rather than partisan. In prominent coastal com- munities such as Charleston, conservative Republicans such as Rep. Mark Sanford, a former governor, helped lead the vocal opposition to the drilling. But inland in state capitals, Democrats such as Gov. Terry McAuliffe of Virginia have supported it.
Environmental groups and the oil industry have spent the past several months lobbying in town halls and statehouses throughout the Southeast. Officials from environmental groups such as Oceana also met with top White House energy and environment officials to press their case.
Environmental groups and many coastal residents fear that opening the Atlantic to drilling could lead to a repeat of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion in the Gulf of Mexico, which killed 11 people and sent millions of gallons of oil to the shores of nearby states.
“It’s a great day for the Atlantic coast, our beaches and the coastal economy that depends on it,” said Rachel Richardson, director for the drilling program at Environment America. “This moment has come because Atlantic coast communities, businesses and citizens have all spoken up to protect their beaches, treasured marine life, and President Obama listened.”
The industry vowed that opponents of the drilling would pay a political price for the move.
“If the Atlantic is taken out, that means there’s less of an opportunity to invest in the U.S., and those dollars will flow overseas, and we’ll hear more and more of that in the presidential election,” said Randall Luthi, president of the National Ocean Industries Association.
In a statement, House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin said: “This is a lost opportunity for new jobs and economic growth in these coastal states, not to mention much-needed revenues for the federal Treasury.”
However, administration officials noted that the move to block drilling comes as oil and gasoline prices have plunged to near record lows, and as onshore oil and gas development has rapidly expanded.