Several environmental groups filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration Tuesday due to their plans for offshore drilling in the Atlantic Ocean.
The federal government gave the Trump administration permission last month to search the ocean floor for oil and gas from Delaware to Florida, but many are opposed to it. The testing involves blasting the seafloor with acoustic waves to find oil and gas reserves.
According to the lawsuit, every coast community in South Carolina passed resolutions against seismic testing “because of the harm that it would cause to the marine environment that supports vibrant coastal economies, including tourism and commercial fishing.”
Congressman-elect Joe Cunningham supports the environmental groups’ lawsuit and said it puts them that much closer to stopping the dangerous offshore drilling. He added that he plans to file a bill to reinstate the ban on the practice when he takes office in January.
Diane Hoskins, campaign director at OCEANA, said that offshore drilling is unlawful and that they will stop it.
“The Trump administration’s rash decision to harm marine mammals hundreds of thousands of times in the hope of finding oil and gas is shortsighted and dangerous,” she said.
There are others who support the idea of offshore drilling because they believe it will boost the economy for areas that rely on tourism.
State Sen. Stephen Goldfinch told the U.S. House panel last year that coastal oil and gas exploration “could write the next chapter” for coastal communities.
“I love tourism. I appreciate tourism,” he explained. “But I’m telling you, the people of the coast are tired of being tied to tourism. It scares us to death every time there’s a storm that comes and shuts it down.”
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