SACE RESPONDS TO ADMINISTRATION’S ANNOUNCEMENT TO CANCEL ATLANTIC OFFSHORE DRILLING PLANS
Coastal voices have spoken louder than Big Oil’s influence
Contact: Jennifer Rennicks, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, 865-235-1448, jennifer@cleanenergy.org
Charleston, S.C. – Today the Obama administration released details of the proposed federal offshore drilling program covering the years 2017 to 2022. An earlier draft of this program initially included leases for offshore oil and gas development off the coast of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. The version released today has removed the Mid- and South Atlantic from consideration.
In response to today’s announcement, Chris Carnevale, Coastal Climate and Energy Manager for the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, made this statement:
“The voices of the people have spoken louder than the influence of Big Oil, and this decision shows that the White House sincerely listened to local voices along our coast. Over the past two years, more than 100 local governments, 100 members of Congress, 1,000 small businesses and hundreds of thousands of people have voiced a bi-partisan call to protect our quality of life and booming tourism economy, rather than risk these assets with the impacts of offshore drilling. Our focus should now be on developing responsible offshore energy solutions compatible with our coastal resources, such as offshore wind energy.”
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Founded in 1985, the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy promotes responsible energy choices that work to address the impacts of global climate change and ensure clean, safe, and healthy communities throughout the Southeast. Learn more at www.cleanenergy.org.