RALEIGH, N.C. — May 14, 2014 — As the public comment period closed May 7th on the proposed use of seismic airguns along the East Coast, coastal residents and elected officials are joining the growing movement urging President Obama to protect coastal economies and marine life by prohibiting the use of dynamite-like seismic airgun blasts. As of May 7th, more than 4,800 state residents, and 25 state and local elected officials have submitted their concerns to the Obama administration.
Eleven coastal municipalities along the Atlantic coast have passed local resolutions and letters of both concern and opposition to their use, including Carolina Beach, Nags Head, Topsail Beach and Oak Island, NC.
In February, the United States government released a final proposal that would allow the use of this controversial technology to look for oil and gas deposits deep below the ocean floor in an area twice the size of California, stretching from Delaware to Florida. According to the Department of the Interior (DOI), these dynamite-like blasts could injure and possibly kill up to 138,200 marine mammals like dolphins and whales, while disrupting the necessary activities of millions more. One species of particular concern is the North Atlantic right whale, the rarest large whale species, of which there are only approximately 500 left worldwide. In addition, fisheries managers have also raised concerns about the potential disruption to fish habitat and catch rates.
“We commend the Tar Heel State’s citizens and elected officials for standing up and letting their voices be heard on seismic blasting,” said Randy Sturgill, campaign organizer at Oceana. “The White House and the Department of the Interior have been sent a powerful message that coastal communities do not want to turn the Atlantic into a blast zone. Seismic airguns would threaten the health of ocean ecosystems and the resources they provide to coastal communities along the entire North Carolina coast.”
Read the full story at the Island Gazette