Offshore Oil Drilling

On Jan. 27, President Biden signed an Executive Order that directs the Secretary of the Interior to pause new oil and natural gas leases on public lands and offshore waters to the extent possible.  This action represents a significant step towards the permanent protection of our coast from the impacts of offshore oil and gas exploration and drilling.  The accompanying Fact Sheet summarizes the details included in the EO, which focuses on actions that can be taken to address climate change. Additionally, the EO directs the Secretary to launch a rigorous review of all existing leasing and permitting practices related to fossil fuel development on public lands and waters, and identify steps that can be taken to double renewable energy production from offshore wind by 2030.  Currently, Kitty Hawk Offshore is the only wind energy area in development off the coast of North Carolina.

President Trump signed a Presidential Memorandum on Sep. 25 that expanded an offshore drilling moratorium to the waters off the coast of North Carolina. The memorandum to the Department of Interior states, “this withdrawal prevents consideration of this area for any leasing for the purposes of exploration, development, or production during the 10-year period beginning on July 1, 2022 and ending on June 30, 2032.”  Unfortunately, the memorandum only references the portion of the planning area that lies south of the northern administrative boundary line of North Carolina, and not the entire Mid-Atlantic Planning Area or the entire Atlantic Coast. Therefore, continued grassroots efforts to contact local, state, and federal representatives with the request to expand the moratorium for the entire Atlantic Coast are encouraged as the acute and chronic impacts of offshore drilling do not respect state lines. The federation will also continue to monitor the status of these moratoriums as President Trump stated that he, “can change things very easily,” immediately after announcing the decision to add North Carolina to the moratorium during a campaign rally.

Senator Tillis issued a news release on Monday, September 21 announcing that “North Carolina will be included in a Presidential Memorandum withdrawing new leasing for offshore oil and gas developments for the next 12 years.  Under the order leases for the purposes of offshore development are prohibited between July 1, 2022, and June 30, 2032.”  This followed an earlier request Governor Cooper sent in a letter Sept. 15 that urged President Trump and his administration to include North Carolina in the recently announced moratorium.  Governor Cooper released a statement on Sep. 22 that he will “stay vigilant and ready to resume the fight in the event the federal government makes any move toward offshore drilling,” while waiting for confirmation that the President will extend the offshore drilling moratorium to North Carolina’s waters.

100% of oceanfront municipalities in North Carolina have now passed resolutions opposing offshore oil drilling and seismic testing. The Town of Indian Beach in Carteret County adopted such a resolution during the March meeting of the Board of Commissioners, joining a total of 44 other towns, cities, and counties throughout the state. Even inland communities, some located as far west as Asheville, have joined in this fight that affects all North Carolinians.

2018

• Environmental groups sue to stop seismic surveys in Atlantic Ocean
• National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) granted incidental harassment authorizations to five companies that submitted applications to conduct seismic surveys
• Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) releases the Draft Proposed 2019-2024 National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program and proposed leases in nearly all U.S. waters

2017

• BOEM releases public notice for comment on new five-year leasing program
• NMFS releases public notice for comment on seismic surveys after companies successfully challenged the denials of six pending permits
• BOEM formally denies six pending permits for conducting seismic surveys off the Atlantic coast

2016

• BOEM releases Final Environmental Impact Statement and removed Mid- and South Atlantic Planning Areas from 2017-2022 Program

2015

• BOEM releases Draft Proposed 2017-2022 National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program and proposed leases in Mid- and South Atlantic Planning Areas