Cooper stands with Sierrans against offshore drilling

Cooper Stands with Sierrans Against Offshore Drilling

Gov. Roy Cooper says he will oppose efforts to open the mid-Atlantic coastline to offshore drilling.

North Carolina’s chief executive announced his opposition today at Fort Macon State Park in response to President Trump’s plan to reopen the federal five-year drilling plan to include North Carolina. Just last year, the Obama administration removed the mid-Atlantic from consideration. 

Cooper said offshore exploration and drilling aren’t worth the threats they pose to North Carolina’s fragile coastal environment and the coastal economy.

“There is a threat looming over this coastline that we love and the prosperity it brings, and that’s the threat of offshore drilling,” Cooper said. “As governor, I’m here to speak out and to take action against it. I can sum it up in four words: Not off our coast.”

The event was attended by a number of Sierrans, including the Croatan Group’s conservation chair Penny Hooper and chair Michael Murdoch (pictured with Cooper).

Cooper’s statement is a marked contrast to the position of his predecessor. Gov. Pat McCrory strongly endorsed offshore drilling throughout his administration, even though many communities along the coast and inland passed anti-drilling resolutions in 2014 and 2015. 

“Today Governor Cooper sent a strong, clear message to the Trump administration and the fossil fuel industry that our coast is not for sale,” Erin Carey, the NC Sierra Club’s Coastal Coordinator, said. “We thank Governor Cooper for his leadership and we support him in protecting our fragile marine ecosystem and our thriving coastal communities.”

Cooper’s announcement took place at the site of the annual Hands Across the Sands event at Fort Macon. Over the past several years, Sierrans and other concerned citizens have joined hands across the beach to express their support for protecting our coast. Sierra Club volunteers and staff attended today’s encouraging announcement.

Deadline Extended for Public Comment on Seismic Blasting

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration published a notice to the federal registrar June 6, 2017 alerting the public to a 30-day comment period in response to proposed seismic blasting in the Atlantic from Delaware to Florida.

THEY HAVE EXTENDED THE DEADLINE DUE BY 15 days.

THE NEW DEADLINE TO SUBMIT COMMENTS IS JULY 21, 2017

As this notice is in accordance with the Marine Mammal Protection Act, your comments must ONLY pertain to the effects of seismic blasting on marine mammals.

Don’t Drill North Carolina

Deadline approaching for public comments pertaining to effects of seismic blasting on marine animals

Less Than 30 Days to Submit YOUR Comments 

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration published a notice to the federal registrar June 6, 2017 alerting the public to a 30-day comment period in response to proposed seismic blasting in the Atlantic from Delaware to Florida.

THE DEADLINE TO SUBMIT COMMENTS IS JULY 6, 2017

As this notice is in accordance with the Marine Mammal Protection Act, your comments must ONLY pertain to the effects of seismic blasting on marine mammals.

Resources on Effects of Seismic Blasting to Marine Mammals: 

Talking Points: (Choose from below and tell YOUR story about how the taking of marine mammals for oil exploration affects you):

  • Scientists have found the following effects on marine mammals subject to exposure to seismic airgun blasting:
    • Behavioral changes to include avoidance of areas, changes to diving and surfacing patterns, changes to vocalization intensity, frequency, repetition and duration;
    • Physiological reactions and/or physical injury: stress and tissue injury due to intense sound exposure (found in beached beluga whales who had been subject to seismic blasts); permanent hearing loss which would leave marine mammals highly vulnerable as auditory communication is essential to their livelihood;
    • Ecological effects: loss of prey due to documented avoidance of blast areas by fish
  • Also hypothesized are effects caused by the presence of an anthropomorphic sound (like an airgun blast) causing a natural sound to be undecipherable, which can affect: (1) reproduction if a female cannot hear potential mates vocalizing, (2) mother-offspring bonding and recognition if they cannot communicate effectively, (3) foraging if animals cannot detect prey or in the case of animals that hunt cooperatively, cannot communicate, and (4) survival if an animal cannot detect predators or other threats.
  • In accordance with federal law cited in the federal register notice, “An authorization for incidental takings shall be granted if National Marine Fisheries Service finds that the taking will have a negligible impact on the species or stock(s). . . [where] ‘negligible impact’ has been defined by NMFS as ‘an impact . . .that cannot be reasonably expected to, and is not reasonably likely to, adversely affect the species or stock through effects on annual rates of recruitment or survival.’”  While scientific data on the effects to marine mammals has been gathered, not enough research has been done to determine whether the taking would indeed be “negligible” under NMFS requirements; therefore, in accordance with federal law, these permits should be denied.
  • Marine Mammal Protection Act requires that petitioners identify ways to reduce impacts to the “lowest level practicable.”  1). There are new, cheaper technologies available for surveying these areas, and 2). One study could suffice, rather than allowing 5 separate vessels to crisscross these delicate habitats blasting every 10 seconds, 24 hours a day for up to 300 days out of the year; therefore, in accordance with federal law, these permits should be denied.
  • The Endangered Species Act (ESA) prohibits harm to species threatened with extinction, including 16 cetacean species, and requires conservation of their habitat; therefore, in accordance with federal law, these permits should be denied:
    • The critically endangered North Atlantic Right Whale’s only habitat is the mid and south Atlantic Ocean.
    • Other endangered marine mammals in blasting area include:
      • Fin whales, blue whales, sei whales, sperm whales
  • Both drilling and seismic blasting off the Atlantic coast have met strong resistance from Southeast communities.  Seismic blasting —which is dangerous and harmful on its own—is the first step toward approving risky and potentially disastrous drilling off our coasts.
  • Seismic blasting works by firing air guns that can be heard for hundreds of miles every ten seconds for days or weeks at a time. The seismic industry is not required to share the proprietary results with the public or policymakers.
  • Studies have shown that seismic testing could potentially harm commercially valuable fisheries by decreasing catch rates by as much as 80% percent. That’s a big blow to commercial and recreational fishing, which is central to the economies of towns and cities along the Southeast coast. Just imagine the impact on our coasts if valuable fish populations were decimated by this activity.
  • The Department of the Interior estimates that over 130,000 marine mammals, including endangered species like North Atlantic right whales, will be injured by seismic testing along the East Coast.
  • In addition, seismic testing carries the harm without providing precise information. Shell’s decision to pull out of the Arctic after a $7-billion investment was due in part to drilling yielding no oil after seismic testing indicated it would. Even industry sources admit that the only thing that truly identifies oil and gas reservoirs is drilling.
  • To definitively know how much oil is available, companies need to drill exploratory wells. Exploratory drilling is the riskiest offshore oil activity and what was taking place when the BP Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf occurred.
  • An overwhelming number of communities along the Southeast coast have spoken out to protect our economy, environment, and way of life from oil and gas drilling. Seismic is the first step in this process, and could do substantial harm to our oceans before the oil and gas companies move in. We cannot allow seismic testing off our coasts.

Advancing Solar and Wind Energy in Eastern NC

Wind farms are tourist attractions.

Studies completed regarding wind farm tourism – including those completed by Clemson University and University of Delaware – suggest that wind farms can boost tourism and that tourists tend be supportive of wind farms near their recreation areas.  Meanwhile, there is plenty of anecdotal evidence that wind farms support a cottage tourism industry.

Read More:  http://www.coastalwind.org/

Review a fact sheet on the economic benefits of the Amazon Wind Project:   http://www.sewind.org/images/fact_sheets/NC_East_Wind_Economic_Development.pdf