Letters: Please protect SC coast from drilling

In March 2016, President Obama banned oil drilling in the South Atlantic, and those of us on the S.C. coast celebrated.

Now President Trump has overturned that ruling and put the well-being of the Atlantic coast in great danger. The fossil-fuel industry will bring a high risk of disaster to our environment, economy and human health while it profits at our expense.

Let’s remember the horrors of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill: the suffering of oil-covered shorebirds, turtles and dolphins, and humans who fell victim to diseases created by dispersants used by BP to hide the millions of gallons of oil spilling into the sea.

When citizens ingest oil and dispersant pollutants, they can contract lasting diseases such as asthma, skin rashes and cancer. Who will be responsible for the health care of the victims in the event of an oil spill? Who will treat humans without health insurance?

Let’s demand that our U.S. senators, Lindsey Graham and Tim Scott, side with sanity and provide a no-drill legacy worthy of their constituents.

This story was originally published June 18, 2017 at 6:43 PM with the headline "Letters: Please protect SC coast from drilling."