President Trump’s moved to Expand Offshore Drilling in the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans rekindles the Debate over the Viability of Oil and Gas Drilling and Seismic Testing off the Coast of North Carolina.
Trump’s Executive Order calls for the Department of Interior to return Hundreds of Miles of Federal Waters back to Eligibility for Offshore Drilling, Areas that were marked Off-Limits by the Obama Administration last year.
Trump’s order also calls for Streamlining Permits for Seismic Testing, a means of Pinpointing Oil and Gas Trapped beneath the Ocean Floor. But David McGowan, Executive Director of the N.C. Petroleum Council, an Industry Trade group, says that even under the most favorable Conditions, the Current Process, involves Hearings, Studies, and Reviews, would take at least a Decade before Oil Rigs Pumped the First Barrel.
Before the Offshore Energy Initiative was Scrapped, then-President Obama’s Interior Department imposed a 50-Mile buffer between the nearest Drilling Operation and the Coastline. However, Decades-old Data Collected by the Energy industry show that Oil and Gas Reserves are likely at least 40 Miles off North Carolina’s Coast and extend out to 100 Miles.
During Obama’s second term, Federal Officials were well into the Process of Developing Seismic Testing Standards when the mid-Atlantic zone, which includes offshore North Carolina, was dropped from Consideration for Drilling after opposition from Residents, Fishing Interests, and the Shipping Industry.
Thirty-two Local Governments, many heavily Dependent of Tourism for their Economies, Passed Resolutions against Drilling, according to Oceana, a group that Opposes Drilling.
Trump’s Decision to Restart the Process concerns Environmentalists, who say the Drilling and Testing is harmful to Marine Life and to Small Coastal Towns. “It’s not just about the spills,” said Sierra Weaver, a Lawyer for the Southern Environmental Law Center. “You’re going to have a lot of lower-level pollution that’s going to affect the tourism and fishing industries.” She said that Drilling would bring Heavy Industry and Construction Traffic through Coastal Towns Dependent on Tourism.
On the other side of the issue, the N.C. Petroleum Council said in a Statement that Energy Drilling can “safely coexist” with Tourism, Fishing, and other Interests. The group said Domestic Energy Production will Strengthen National Security and Local Economies.
McGowan said Offshore Energy Exploration would spur Local Manufacturing, creating Jobs for Electricians, Welders, and other Contractors who would be needed to support the Onshore Staging Compounds and Offshore Drilling Rigs. Additionally, the State and possibly Local Governments would potentially Receive Federal Royalty Payments to Compensate for the Offshore Energy Exploration in Federal Waters, McGowan said.
Former Gov. Pat McCrory, a Republican, Chaired the Outer Contintental Shelf Governors Coalition of Governors promoting Offshore Drilling. McCrory even objected to the 50-Mile Buffer in a 2015 Congressional Hearing, saying it put some Energy Resources under Lock and key.
A spokesman for Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, said in an email that Trump’s Recent Order is “of great concern for many families and businesses on our coast.” “Gov. Cooper has said that if North Carolina’s portion of the Atlantic coast opens for drilling, important mitigations need to be in place to address the potential risk of environmental damage as well as the risk to our tourism economies and recreational and commercial fishing,” spokesman Ford Porter wrote in the email.
Momentum has been Building for a Reassessment of the Decades-old National Policy that Bans Coastal Drilling to protect against potential Oil Spills. In 2010, Presidential Candidates Mitt Romney and Obama embraced the Idea under the Banner of Energy Independence and Job Creation. But the Obama Administration Slowed the Process after the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon Accident that Disgorged 4.9 Million Gallons of Oil into the Gulf of Mexico for 87 days before it was plugged.
Last year, the Obama Administration Eliminated the Atlantic from the Drilling lineup entirely after hundreds of People Submitted Public Comments and turned out for Public Hearings on the Outer Banks and in Wilmington.
“Numerous stakeholders, including many citizens living along the Atlantic coast and their public officials, expressed concern that oil and gas activities and their potential impacts could jeopardize existing economic activities and the health of important contributors to coastal economies,” the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management wrote last year in a preliminary report.
Doug Nowacek, a Duke University Professor in Marine Conservation Technology, said in an interview that Drilling far Offshore does not necessarily offer Coastal Protection from Oil Spills, as much of the Spill would eventually be carried into Coastal Estuaries.
The Federal Process, which will again be Managed by the Agency, will take several years. It will ultimately determine who gets to Bid on Leasing Federal Ocean Waters for Energy Development, and which Ocean “Parcels” would be Free of Conflicts with Military, Commercial, and Fishing uses.
Among the first of the Exploration Activities that would take place would be Seismic Testing to determine the best likely Locations to Sink Test Wells. The use of Seismic Cannons is controversial because the Underwater Explosions could Stun or Harm Dolphins and other Aquatic Animals that depend on Sonar. Federal Estimates put the Mid-Atlantic zone, which includes North Carolina and Three other States, at 2.4 Billion Barrels of Oil and 23.4 Trillion Cubic Feet of Natural Gas of Recoverable Energy, but the most Recent Data was collected in the 1980s. The Gulf of Mexico, by Contrast, holds about 20 times that Volume of Oil.
Trump Seeks more Oil Drilling in California.
President Trump pledged to Increase Oil and Gas Drilling and "unleash an energy revolution." If he wants to do it in California, he'll hit Obstacles that could take years to surmount, Experts said. Drilling both Offshore and on Federal Land requires Crafting a Detailed Plan and Surviving Environmental Reviews. And in the Golden State, there's a Major Political Hurdle. California has fought fiercely against attempts to Increase Offshore Drilling, with Democrats and Republican Lawmakers uniting on the Issue.
"California is a daunting place," said Mark Delaplaine, the California Coastal Commission's Manager of the Energy Ocean Coastal Resources Unit. "We've had more than one administration salivate over the idea of drilling off all of California, and it hasn't happened. You have to look at history and say, 'This is going to be difficult.'"
Efforts to Open Up New Drilling on Federal Lands in the Golden State in recent years also have Failed. Courts twice have stopped Obama Administration attempts to Open Public Lands to Fracking, said Kassie Siegel, Climate Law Institute Director at the Center for Biological Diversity.
"The Trump administration will have the same legal problems that the Obama administration did," Siegel added.
A Federal Judge halted Litigation tied to Plans for New Oil and Gas Development in Los Padres National Forest, East of Santa Barbara. The Forest Service announced it would Indefinitely Stop New Leasing at the Site.
It's not clear how much Oil Companies would want to Pursue Drilling in California and Push the Trump Administration to allow New Leasing. Oil Companies typically want the Security of knowing they will be able to Proceed without numerous Obstacles. In California, that's not the Case, several said. Additionally, the Low Price of Oil has Depressed Interest, said Athan Manuel, Director of the Lands Protection Program at the Sierra Club.
"This industry is in flux," Manuel said. "Just because the Trump administration wants to do it, economically we're not sure companies are champing at the bit to have new areas leased to them."
Rock Zierman, CEO of the California Independent Petroleum Association, or CIPA, said in an email that "we have major production currently on [Bureau of Land Management] onshore land and that can certainly increase." He said companies would be interested if Leases became Available. In the Case of Offshore Drilling, Trump would need to deal with a Recent Obama Administration Legacy. Obama's Interior Department Issued its Final Five-Year Plan for Leasing from 2017 through 2022. After a 60-day Congressional Review Period, the Agency's Director formally Adopt it. That would made it Law a few days before Trump's inauguration.
Any New Trump Administration Offshore Leasing Plan would be Subject to Review by the California Coastal Commission, which Oversees Activities affecting 1,100 Miles of Coast. The Trump Administration would need to tell the Commission its Federal Leasing Plan was consistent with the California Coastal Act, a Tough Protection Law. The Commission could say Yes or No, or Negotiate Changes, and ultimately could go to Court to Stop the Plan from Proceeding, said Delaplaine with the Commission. "We have not had a difficult time justifying that leasing offshore California has been for the most part inconsistent with our coastal protection laws," Delaplaine said. "It's not a difficult case to make. That's a hurdle that they would have to face."
Some Drilling is allowed Offshore in the Santa Barbara Channel. There are 23 Platforms in Federal Waters in that Region. But the Agency likely would Disagree with a New Plan seeking Additional Offshore Drilling, he said.
"The risks to coastal resources are just limitless, the risk of oil spills, the risk of air quality impacts," Delaplaine said. "There's a whole litany of effects on California that drilling in a new area brings into play."
Even when the Political Makeup of the Commission has changed over the years, its Position in the Issue has stayed consistent, he added. "They've been generally united about concerns about offshore oil drilling," Delaplaine said. "These are almost always unanimous votes."
Trump is Unlikely to get help from Congress, either. For decades, both Democratic and Republican Lawmakers from the State have Opposed Offshore Drilling, supporting Residents who don't want Oil Derricks Obstructing Coastal Views. Sen. Pete Wilson (R-CA) in the 1980s led a Fight against it during the George H.W. Bush Administration. Several said that Bipartisan approach is unlikely to change now, even with a Republican-Controlled White House and Congress. "It's been known as kind of a third rail of politics," allowing New Oil Drilling off California, said Ann Notthoff, California Advocacy Director for the Natural Resources Defense Council. "The coastal economy of California is critical. It's very valuable. The costs of threatening that with oil drilling has long been thought to not be worth it."
Zierman with CIPA said that in Terms of Offshore Drilling, "new platforms are very unlikely." But Oil Companies can Drill Directionally from one of the Existing Platforms to an Adjacent Lease. That's a way of getting a New Lease and Tapping New Resources without Installing a New Platform, he said. Federal Lands in California also have Challenges. On Federal Lands in California, allowing more Drilling theoretically would be Easier than Offshore, but that hasn't worked out as desired for the Obama Administration.
NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker
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