North Carolina town becomes 100th east coast community to oppose offshore testing
The town council of Kure Beach, North Carolina, has voted to oppose offshore drilling and seismic testing for oil and gas, continuing a grassroots groundswell against fossil fuel exploration along the US Atlantic coast.
The unanimous vote by the Kure Beach council made it the 100th east coast municipality to do so, according to the Washington DC-based environmental group Oceana.
Concerns about environmental and economic damage resulting from a possible leak or accident were the driving forces behind the vote.
East coast communities and green groups have been galvanized to mount these local objections since US President Barack Obama pledged to open Atlantic waters to drilling last year.
Kure Beach is 15 miles south of the port city of Wilmington. The town’s previous mayor had favoured offshore testing but he was voted out in November and his successor is strongly anti-drilling.
