Governor Seeking Offshore Drilling Exemption For NC

CHARLOTTE, NC -- North Carolina’s governor is lashing out at at a Trump Administration proposal that would clear the way for offshore drilling along the nation’s coastline, and says the state is considering its legal options to fight it.

U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke proposed five-year leases for exploration of offshore oil reserves, including sites stretching from Alaska to the Gulf of Mexico, many of which have been closed to drilling since the mid-1980s. The Administration’s proposal, however, exempted Florida from its plans to open the Atlantic and Pacific coasts to oil and gas drilling.

The U.S. Interior Department announced this week that it would exclude Florida and cited the potential impact on the Sunshine State's tourism industry. Despite tourism having significant economic impact on the entire coast's economy, however, the decision left the rest of nearly all U.S. waters, including the Atlantic, open to offshore drilling.

NC Gov. Roy Cooper said Thursday morning he wanted the “same treatment for North Carolina,” and indicated the state is now considering its legal options in fighting the proposal in light of the “disregard for the regulatory process” in its exemption of Florida.

In an appearance on CNN Thursday morning, Cooper said North Carolina’s economy was reliant on the $3 billion brought in by coastal tourism along the state’s 300-miles of shoreline and 22 barrier islands.

Cooper said he is seeking a meeting, or at least a phone call, with Zinke to discuss the proposal and the exemption for Florida.

“They announced this plan that they’re going to start offshore drilling off the United States coast, and then just a few days later, without public comment, without any regulatory or scientific investigation, they exempt Florida because of coastal tourism and the economy,” Cooper said. “This is critical for us.”

In a statement, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said President Trump, who owns the Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, directed him to rebuild the offshore oil and gas program "in a manner that supports our national energy policy and also takes into consideration the local and state voice."

"Florida is unique and its coast is heavily reliant on tourism as an economic driver," Zinke said. "As a result of today's discussion and Gov. (Rick) Scott's leadership, I am removing Florida from consideration for any new oil and gas platforms."

Patch Editor Tom Davis and SoCal Patch contributed to this article.

City News Service; Photo: LONG BEACH, CA - JANUARY 29: A fin whale surfaces near offshore oil rigs off the southern California coast on January 29, 2012 near Long Beach, California. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)