SELC Calls on Administration: Heed Lessons from BP Spill, Reverse Plan to Drill in Atlantic

On the fifth anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon blowout and subsequent 89-day oil spill, the Southern Environmental Law Center released the following statement calling on the Administration to reverse plans to open the mid- and south Atlantic to offshore drilling and seismic testing.

“As we all watched in horror and incredulity as a massive amount of oil spewed into the Gulf for 89 straight days, it became abundantly clear that we were seeing one of the greatest environmental disasters to ever hit the United States,” said Sierra Weaver, Senior Attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center. “Even five years later, the coastal economies along the Gulf are still trying to rebuild, clean up and recover from the horrific spill.”

“But even before the blowout, regular smaller spills and the industrialization[SW1]  of the coast, which are inescapable parts of offshore drilling, serve as lessons to coastal communities in the South Atlantic. As more and more communities along the Southeast coast recognize that these impacts are fundamentally incompatible with their local economies and ways of life, there are dozens of communities calling for the Administration to reverse its plan to open the Atlantic to drilling.”

“From tourism to fishing, the livelihoods of thousands along the coast are at stake. The Obama Administration should listen to local elected officials, Chambers of Commerce, community leaders and residents and take drilling in the Atlantic off the table.”

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