The map above shows the areas the draft plan could open to offshore drilling. Source: BOEM

BOEM’s new draft oil and gas leasing program could open nearly all U.S. coastal waters to offshore drilling. Thank you everyone who submitted comments on the draft plan. Stay tuned for updates.

Public opposition to offshore oil drilling helped stop it from happening off North Carolina’s coast in 2016. It also helped convince Gov. Roy Cooper to take a strong stance against offshore oil drilling and seismic blasting. The waters off North Carolina should be off-limits to these destructive processes. They are too great a risk to this state’s coastal economy and environment.

Questions? Contact coastal advocates Kerri Allen at kerria@nccoast.org or Michael Flynn at michaelf@nccoast.org. You can also reach them at 252-393-8185.
More information is also available at dontdrillnc.org.

Check out this interactive map and animation created by the Southern Environmental Law Center.

Updates

Nov. 30, 2018

Recent authorizations related to seismic testing can negatively impact marine life in North Carolina

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) granted incidental harassment authorizations (IHAs) to five companies that submitted applications to conduct geophysical surveys along the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf. The NMFS is required to review the applications in accordance with the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) and provide companies with a suite of monitoring and mitigation requirements. An IHA essentially grants these companies the ability to unintentionally “harass, hunt, capture, or kill” a small number of marine mammals.

The North Carolina Coastal Federation is concerned that the continuous and cumulative air gun blasting associated with seismic testing surveys will negatively impact marine mammals. Recent studies indicate that marine mammals are likely to suffer from communication disruptions and behavioral disturbance resulting in stranding and even death. Studies have also shown that seismic activity can dramatically decrease the abundance of zooplankton, which is a key organism in the marine food web and a main source of food for fish and baleen whales.

The federation has been consistently concerned with seismic activity along the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf. Since late 2015, the federation has been submitting its own and signing on to comment letters opposing seismic activity and stating its concern for marine life. Additionally, Gov. Cooper recently declared his opposition to the decision made by NMFS to grant IHAs, reiterating his opposition to offshore drilling.

Read more here.

Jan. 4, 2018

Federal government moves to open nearly all U.S. waters to offshore drilling

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) released the draft 2019-2024 National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program. This draft program opens almost all U.S. coastal waters to drilling, including the waters off the coast of North Carolina. Gov. Roy Cooper released a statement the same day reiterating his opposition to offshore drilling. The comments sent to BOEM will help with the development of the draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) and the proposed program. Once these documents are released, there will be a 90-day comment period.

July 20, 2017

‘Not off our coast’ — Gov. Roy Cooper announces his opposition to offshore oil drilling and seismic blasting

Gov. Cooper announced his opposition to offshore oil drilling and seismic blasting at Fort Macon State Park in Atlantic Beach. Cooper cited the need to protect the coastal tourism and fishing industries from any potential harm an oil spill or seismic testing would cause. He also said that the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality would submit arguments against seismic blasting to the National Marine Fisheries Service. Read a full update here.

June 29, 2017

BOEM releases public notice for comment on new five-year leasing program

BOEM published a public engagement notice for comment the new five-year leasing program for offshore oil and gas exploration that the Department of Interior plans to create. BOEM is seeking comments related to the potential economic and environmental effects of offshore oil and gas exploration.

June 6, 2017

National Marine Fisheries Service releases public notice for comment on seismic surveys

As a result of the executive order to reverse the freeze on offshore oil development in Atlantic, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has published a public notice (PN) for comment on potential seismic surveys (blasting) along the Atlantic Coast. The PN describes the process, the potential impacts to marine mammals and provides information on each of the five companies who have applied for permits and potential mitigation of the expected impacts. The North Carolina Coastal Federation is working with a coalition of environmental groups to inform the public of this ill advised action. Read the PN. The comment period ends July 21.

April 28, 2017

Executive order directs review of locations for offshore oil and gas exploration

President Trump signed an executive order on April 28 directing the U.S. Department of Interior to review locations for offshore oil and gas exploration, including those taken off the table in March 2016.

The North Carolina Coastal Federation is urging North Carolina residents to email Gov. Roy Cooper and ask that he let the federal government know the waters off of North Carolina’s coast should be off limits to offshore oil and gas drilling.

Learn how you can contact Gov. Cooper.
Read Coastal Review Online’s article on the executive order.

History of the issue:
The North Carolina coast has been off-limits to offshore oil drilling for nearly 30 years — and it should stay off-limits.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) released in January 2015 its Draft Proposed Program for 2017-2022, which included new program areas in Atlantic waters.

Figure 1: http://www.boem.gov/2017-2022-DPP-Lower-48-States-Program-Areas/

On March 15, 2016, BOEM released a Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that examined the direct, indirect and cumulative impacts of oil and gas activities off the North Carolina coast. BOEM decided to remove North Carolina from its proposal. Offshore areas are parceled into blocks that are categorized and sold to oil and gas companies, and previously, a lease sale was scheduled in the Mid-Atlantic region for 2021.

Your comments influenced what was evaluated in the EIS, and whether or not sections of our offshore waters were ultimately included in BOEM’s 2017-2022 leasing program. Read the latest Washington Post report.

Even after BOEM’s March 2016 announcement, seismic surveys continued to be considered. The federation sent a letter in June 2016 to BOEM and a second to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) requesting that BOEM reexamine its previous conclusion on the effects seismic surveys have on fish and that the two agencies enter into formal consultation to discuss the effects of geological and geophysical activity on essential fish habitat. Read more about the letters. Read the letter sent to the Mid-Atlantic Fisheries Management Council asking that the council also send letters to BOEM and NMFS.

Keep up with the latest on
offshore drilling in North Carolina:

See More

• Oceana’s 2018 economic analysis
• The Southern Environmental Law Center’s interactive map and animation
• The federation’s offshore oil fact sheet
• The federation’s seismic survey fact sheet
• The Southern Environmental Law Center’s comment letter on the proposed Well Control Rule revisions, submitted on behalf of the federation and 49 other groups (2018)
• The federation’s comment letter to BOEM on the proposed 2019-24 Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program (2018)
• The federation’s comment letter to BOEM in response to a request for comments for a 2019-24 leasing program (2017)
• The federation’s comment letter to DEQ in response to BOEM’s comment request (2017)
• The National Marine Fisheries Service’s public notice for comment on seismic surveys in the Atlantic Ocean (2017)
• The public notice concerning access to offshore areas (2016)
• The federation’s comment letter to BOEM on the danger seismic surveys pose to fish (2016)
• The federation’s comment letter to the National Marine Fisheries Service requesting that it meets with BOEM to discuss the potential risks fish face because of seismic surveys (2016)
• The federation’s letter to the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council asking for support in its requests of BOEM and NMFS (2016)
• The card on seismic surveys (2015)
• The federation’s comment letter on incidental harassment authorization for geophysical surveys in the Atlantic Ocean (2015)
• The federation’s comment letter on seismic surveys in North Carolina (2015)
• The federation’s comment letter on the proposal for the Oil and Gas leasing Program (2015)
• Read more about the issues in our Coastal Review Online special report.
• Click to watch and view presentations from the federation’s 2015 Offshore Drilling Forum in New Bern