Gov. Cooper discusses opposition to offshore drilling during visit to Wrightsville Beach

WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH, NC (WWAY) — Gov. Cooper came to Wrightsville Beach today to discuss his opposition to the Trump administration’s plan to allow drilling off the Atlantic coast.

Cooper has vowed to do whatever he can to fight the plan.

“I’m going to fight to keep our coast safe,” Cooper said. “Offshore drilling is just a bad deal for our state.”

The federal government, which announced earlier this month the plan to open the coast to energy exploration, recently exempted Florida from the proposal due to the potential impact to coastal economies.

“So I called the Department of Interior and said, ‘What about us? We have coastal economies,'” Cooper said.

The governor said if North Carolina is not exempt from offshore drilling, the state will sue the federal government.

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke announced the plan Jan. 4, saying that responsible development of offshore energy resources would boost jobs and economic security while providing billions of dollars to fund conservation along U.S. coastlines.

The five-year plan would open 90 percent of the nation’s offshore reserves to development by private companies, Zinke said, with 47 leases proposed off the nation’s coastlines between 2019 and 2024. Nineteen sales would be off the coast of Alaska, 12 in the Gulf of Mexico, nine in the Atlantic and seven in the Pacific, including six off California’s coast.

“This is a draft program,” Zinke said in a conference call with reporters earlier this month. “Nothing is final yet, and our department is continuing to engage the American people to get to our final product.”

In making his case opposing the plan, Cooper cited the risks of oil spills, like the one that affected the Gulf coast in 2010. He said there’s little evidence of positive economic impact for the state. Gov. Cooper also pointed to a preference for cleaner energy like solar.

Cooper said he spoke with Secretary Zinke recently and the Zinke said he understood the concerns and would visit coastal North Carolina to getting a closer look.

Gov. Cooper encouraged North Carolinians to take part in the public comment period and make their voices heard on the issue.

Wrightsville Beach resident Gary Cherry was at the press confrence and said he wants to be a voice for this issue since he has seen what offshore drilling can do.

“They don’t realize the impact. I don’t think they felt it or lived it themselves. And I think that’s the big reason why I’m here is to be a voice of someone who has lived a life of dirty beaches,” Cherry said.

Cherry is from Texas and said one reason he moved to the beach is to show his children the beauty of our coast.

“I’m not against energy, I’m not against oil drilling. My family was brought up in the oil industry and doing work for the oil industry and it’s been a big part of our lives,” Cherry said. “But there is a right way and wrong way to do it.”

This morning New Hanover County Commissioner unanimously approved a resolution opposing offshore drilling. Last week Brunswick County Commissioners decided to rescind a resolution passed in 2015 supporting offshore drilling.