Brunswick Co. Commission to reconsider offshore exploration resolution

BRUNSWICK COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — Brunswick County Commissioners will look at whether to change their official stance on seismic testing and offshore oil exploration.

At their July 6 meeting commissioners adopted a resolution supporting the testing and exploration off the coast of North Carolina. Several members of the public spoke out at the next commission meeting two weeks later against the idea, so commissioners directed staff to get them more information. Commissioners will get that information tonight.

“I do not think that the information available supports an argument that either seismic testing or offshore drilling are without risks, though the magnitude of those risks is the subject of much discussion,” Deputy County Manager Steve Stone wrote in the agenda item for tonight’s meeting. “However, there is also potential for significant positive economic benefit to the North Carolina economy. Whether those economic benefits would be proportionately shared by those that take the greatest portion of the risk seems to be one of the key points of contention.”

This time around county staff has put together a draft resolution “that adopts a more neutral stance on these issues until more definitive information is available.”

Several coastal communities up and down the coast, including many here in southeastern North Carolina, have adopted resolutions against the testing and exploration.

The Brunswick County Commission meeting starts at 5:45 p.m. at the Brunswick County Government Center in Bolivia.