Oil companies could be drilling 50 miles off the coast of Virginia by 2021 under a plan just released by the federal government. The ocean floor of Georgia, South and North Carolina would also be up for lease to oil and gas companies.
The news prompted protests from a number of environmental groups, including the Southern Environmental Law Center, where Deborah Murray is a senior attorney.
“It is just too risky to allow offshore drilling. We know that from our experience with the BP spill back in 2010. We have coastal economies that depend on tourism and fishing, and we have sensitive resources like the Chesapeake Bay.”
Since then, she says, no new safety regulations have been imposed, and oil could be spilled again
“Despite assurances then and now from the oil industry, they can’t prevent a spill or recover quickly enough.”
And she wants to remind Virginians that what happened in the Gulf was a disaster for people and wildlife.
“You know we all remember seeing horrible pictures of pelicans covered with oil and dead fish. It was a tremendous disaster.”
The public has sixty days to comment on the proposal, and Murray hopes that might change some minds, including that of Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe who supports offshore drilling.