Today, Noelle Talley, Deputy Communications Director for Governor Roy Cooper, shared the following statement on the legislature's failure to act on GenX:
In a meeting with Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke today on offshore drilling and seismic testing, Governor Cooper underscored North Carolina’s opposition to both. Cooper was joined by elected officials and stakeholders from coastal North Carolina who stressed the threats both offshore drilling and seismic testing pose to North Carolina’s coastal economies and tourism industry.
Governor Roy Cooper urged Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to grant a 60-day extension on public comments on offshore drilling and seismic testing off of North Carolina’s coast. In the letter to Sec. Zinke, Governor Cooper also urged the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to hold additional public hearings on the North Carolina coast in Kill Devil Hills, Morehead City, and Wilmington. Currently, the only public feedback session is set to take place in Raleigh as an “open house.”
North Carolina will work toward a renewable energy future and rural economic development with the establishment of a new fund, Governor Roy Cooper said Friday.
The announcement comes as the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) issues the requested water permit for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP).
Joined by local business leaders and elected officials, Gov. Roy Cooper once again called on the Trump Administration today to grant North Carolina an exemption from proposed seismic testing and offshore drilling and pledged potential legal action to protect North Carolina’s coastal communities.
Governor Roy Cooper joined six other Atlantic Coast governors this week in sending a letter to Interior Department Secretary Ryan Zinke to express opposition to the Trump Administration’s plan to open the Atlantic Coast to offshore drilling and request exemptions for the seven states similar to the one granted to Florida.
Following an announcement late yesterday that the Trump Administration will exempt Florida from its plan to open Atlantic and Pacific coastal waters to offshore drilling, Governor Cooper today urged Interior Department Secretary Ryan Zinke to grant an exemption for North Carolina. Gov. Cooper requested a meeting with the Secretary to explain the critical threat drilling and seismic testing pose to North Carolina’s coastal communities, economy and environment. The state is also exploring legal options to prevent offshore drilling.
Today, Governor Cooper shared the following statement on the White House’s announcement on offshore drilling:
“Offshore drilling represents a critical threat to our coastal economy. Protecting North Carolina families and businesses is my top priority, and we will pursue every option to prevent oil drilling near North Carolina’s beaches, coastal communities, and fishing waters.”
North Carolinians with ideas about how to use $92 million from a court settlement to improve North Carolina’s air quality are encouraged to share their ideas as the State of North Carolina develops its plan.
After widespread devastation from Hurricane Matthew, North Carolina is using experts to study the Cashie, Lumber, Neuse and Tar rivers to help prevent future flooding, Governor Roy Cooper announced today.