Offshore drilling stirs waters in South Carolina

Environmental groups in South Carolina ripped a new federal plan that could lead to oil and gas drilling off the Palmetto State’s coast, saying the Obama administration’s proposal Tuesday threatens to pollute the beaches that draw vacationers here.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management included an area off the shores of the Carolinas, Virginia and Georgia in its draft proposal of tracts on the Outer Continental Shelf that could be leased between 2017 and 2022 for oil and gas drilling.

The proposal envisions auctioning areas located more than 50 miles off the coast of those four states to oil companies no earlier than 2021, long after President Barack Obama leaves office, The Associated Press reported. For decades, oil companies have been barred from drilling in the Atlantic Ocean, where a moratorium was in place up until 2008.

Tuesday’s long-awaited decision follows a plan last summer to use seismic testing to search for oil and gas off the south Atlantic coast. The latest plan was applauded by drilling boosters, who said it’s a sound way to help the economy and the reduce the nation’s dependence on foreign energy sources.

But groups such as the S.C. Coastal Conservation League and the Conservation Voters of South Carolina, two of the state’s most influential environmental organizations, said the proposal spells trouble for South Carolina if it receives final approval.

South Carolina is home to some of the nation’s most popular tourist destinations, which could suffer from industrialization and oil spills, environmentalists said. Myrtle Beach, Charleston and Hilton Head Island draw millions of tourists to the state each year, where they have a broad economic impact.

“At best, offshore drilling is a gamble for South Carolina. At worst, it is a reckless disregard for what makes this state such a great place to live,” said Hamilton Davis, the conservation league’s energy director. “We will be working to ensure the public and our elected officials understand the implications of this proposal, so that their concerns can be adequately conveyed to federal regulators before any decisions are finalized.”

A forum is scheduled for later this week in Beaufort to discuss the plan. Beaufort Mayor Billy Keyserling is one of a handful of coastal leaders to announce opposition to offshore drilling in South Carolina. Oceana, a national environmental group that has become active in the Carolinas’ drilling debate, said oil and gas drilling could hurt fisheries.

“This five-year plan could destroy our coastal economies for decades to come, costing future generations the fishing livelihoods that have been part of their local fabric for generations,” said Jacqueline Savitz, the organization’s vice president in the U.S.

The Conservation Voters, which represents many of the state’s green groups on key issues in the State House, said oil and gas drilling could derail efforts to expand renewable energy. The group urged people to contact Gov. Nikki Haley and ask that she oppose the plan.

Haley and many of the state’s highest officials support offshore drilling.

“Offshore drilling for oil and gas would take us down the wrong path. South Carolina is on track to be part of the future of energy, with our landmark solar legislation last year. Offshore drilling would divert us from a clean energy future,” said a statement from the Conservation Voters.

Despite their concern, U.S. Rep. Jeff Duncan, R-S.C., said the plan actually will help South Carolina and the nation.

“North America is poised to become the world’s leading source of energy production, and by producing energy in the Atlantic, we can strengthen America’s energy security and lessen our dependence on Middle Eastern sources of oil,” Duncan said. “Prosperity shouldn’t be a partisan issue, and I hope that the Obama administration will continue to heed the wishes of the citizens of South Carolina and fully open up these areas for energy production and exploration.”

The Obama plan offers different strategies for oil and gas production nationally. In Alaska, the administration will ban drilling in some portions of the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas, according to The New York Times. The move to ban drilling in some Arctic waters is certain to enrage Alaskan lawmakers who are already angry about an administration plan to provide tougher environmental protections in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the Times reported.

Geologist James Knapp, a University of South Carolina professor, said oil and gas reserves off the coast could boost the economy. Past studies have not found much oil and gas off of South Carolina, but technology has changed to allow for more precise information, he said.

“If there is a significant resource out there, the real opportunity for the state of South Carolina is economic development and job growth,” he said.

The Associated Press and The New York Times contributed to this story.

This story was originally published January 27, 2015 at 8:53 PM with the headline "Offshore drilling stirs waters in South Carolina."