Sanford Statement on Seismic Permitting

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Mark Sanford (SC-01) released the following statement regarding the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s proposed rules for seismic surveying permits in the Atlantic Ocean:

“The administration’s latest action in opening the waters of the Atlantic to seismic testing is another in a string of decisions that is fundamentally at odds with the notion that the government closest to the people governs best.

“Locals should indeed have some degree of authority in determining what happens next in their communities because the onshore infrastructure necessary to support offshore operations is considerable. One look at a place like Port Fourchon in Louisiana is a reminder of how real the impact is to the look and feel of a coastal community. It’s for reasons like this that the response to seismic testing up and down the coast has been a resounding “no.” Over 120 municipalities, including every single coastal municipality in South Carolina, have already formally opposed oil and gas development in the Atlantic.

“Over the past few months, I have led letters to Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke urging him to maintain the bans on offshore drilling and seismic testing in the Atlantic. In the footsteps of the president’s decision to open the Atlantic to offshore drilling, I introduced the Coastal Economies Protection Act to place a 10-year moratorium on oil and gas exploration in the Atlantic. Today - on World Ocean Day, I urge the Administration to respect the wishes of the coastal communities that I represent as well as many others along the eastern seaboard, who so vocally oppose seismic testing.”

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