WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are pushing back against the president’s plan to expand offshore drilling, including potentially off the North Carolina coast.
- The House passed a funding bill Tuesday that includes language effectively blocking new offshore oil and gas exploration and drilling along the Atlantic coastline for a year.
- The legislation still requires approval from the Republican-controlled Senate.
- The restrictive language was added by Democrats and a handful of Republicans.
The Democrat-led House passed a funding bill Tuesday that includes language effectively blocking new offshore oil and gas exploration and drilling along the Atlantic coastline for a year. The legislation still requires approval from the Republican-controlled Senate.
The restrictive language was added by Democrats and a handful of Republicans in the form of an amendment, which states that the Department of the Interior cannot use funds to conduct oil and gas leasing or other related activities in the Atlantic.
North Carolina Congressman David Price, D-4th District, was among those pushing for the amendment.
“What you see in coastal communities all up and down the eastern seaboard, is the realization that this really is an unacceptable risk,” Price said. “It’s about tourism, it’s about the fishing industry.”
The Trump administration first took steps to expand offshore drilling with an executive order in 2017. Industry leaders said more drilling could create jobs and stir the economy. But, environmental groups and some coastal communities balked, raising concerns about a repeat of the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
In late 2018, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, joined a bipartisan group of governors from along the eastern seaboard in drafting a letter to Trump administration officials, expressing opposition to opening the Atlantic Ocean to seismic testing and drilling.
The amendment restricting offshore exploration in the Atlantic passed the House, 247 to 185.
All three North Carolina congressional Democrats voted to approve the amendment. North Carolina’s Republicans in the House voted ‘no.’
Rep. Mark Walker, R-6th District, was among those who voted against the offshore restrictions. Asked about the congressman’s vote, a spokesman said, “At a time when we are seeing heightened aggression and destabilization in the Middle East, it is not in the best interest of American security to project that we have no interest in remaining the world’s largest energy producer.”
Congresswoman Virginia Foxx, R-5th District, also weighed in on her ‘no’ vote. In a statement, she called "careful offshore drilling" in the Atlantic an “integral part” of a strategy for U.S. energy independence.
“It shouldn’t be viewed as a zero-sum game for the environment nor the fishing, tourism and other industries that rely on coastline access,” Foxx wrote. “Communities and consumers stand to benefit from oil and gas development that lowers energy costs, brings jobs and economic investment, and strengthens U.S. energy security.”
The amendment was one of a series adopted by House lawmakers dealing with offshore drilling. Another puts restrictions on drilling off the Pacific coast.
In recent months, the Trump administration’s plans for offshore drilling have reportedly stalled after a federal judge threw out the president's 2017 executive order undoing the current bans.
After passing the House, the overall funding bill for the Department of the Interior and other agencies now requires approval from the Republican-controlled Senate.