Photo: Jan-Rune Smenes Reite/Pexels

June 17. NC Gov. Josh Stein, a Democrat, and SC Gov. Henry McMaster, a Republican, are calling on the Trump administration to maintain the offshore drilling moratorium off the Carolina coasts.

Every North Carolina and South Carolina coastal municipality has passed a resolution opposing offshore drilling and seismic testing.

“This position has been reaffirmed by other municipalities and counties, as well as state legislators and members of our Congressional delegations from both parties. We ask you to respect the wishes of our states and our coastal communities and reaffirm President Trump’s decision to protect our coastlines and the industries they support,” wrote Stein and McMaster.

In September 2020, President Trump issued memoranda protecting the waters off the coast of North and South Carolina from leasing disposition until June 30, 2032.

Stein and McMaster are urging the 11th National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program to remove North and South Carolina’s outer continental shelf lands from consideration.

Background

North and South Carolina have a combined 513 miles of ocean beaches and 6,251 miles of coastline. These coastal zones are home to more than 2.7 million people and include numerous national wildlife refuges. In 2021, North and South Carolina’s coastal economy contributed $9.6 billion to the GDP, supported more than 125,000 jobs, and provided $3.8 billion in wages.