Release date:
1/23/2018
(RALEIGH) Attorney General Josh Stein and Gov. Roy Cooper urged U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke to withdraw his plan to allow offshore drilling off the coast of North Carolina. Failure to do so, the letter states, will result in legal action from the State of North Carolina.
“North Carolina’s coast is a national treasure and an economic engine,” said Attorney General Josh Stein. “Tourism, fishing and other coastal business employs tens of thousands of people and generates billions in economic activity. The Administration’s plan creates unacceptable risks. I will do whatever we need to protect our people, natural resources, and economy – and that includes legal action.”
“North Carolina has made its opposition to offshore drilling clear. Following the public comment period, if our state is not granted an exemption, we will take legal action to protect our coastal communities and prevent drilling off the North Carolina coast,” said Gov. Roy Cooper.
As the letter points out, North Carolina’s economy depends protecting its 326 miles of ocean beaches and 2.3 million acres of estuarine waters. Coastal waters in our state support tens of thousands of jobs, including 7,410 jobs for commercial fishing, 15,069 jobs for recreational fishing and 30,000 for tourism. Visitors to our coast spent more than $3 billion in 2015.
Contact:
Laura Brewer (919) 716-6484
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