SELC Statement on Drilling Suspension

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA — A temporary suspension of the Trump administration drilling plan, first reported in the Wall Street Journal after an interview with Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, is being met with cautious enthusiasm by East Coast business leaders, conservation groups, and hundreds of cities, towns and counties that have gone on-the-record to oppose the President’s plan to seek oil in the Atlantic Ocean.

Southern Environmental Law Center Senior Attorney Sierra Weaver released this statement:

“I certainly hope that ‘indefinitely delayed’ is Washington-speak for ‘never.’  Whatever the reason for this delay, more than 230 communities have spoken out against seismic testing and offshore drilling in the Atlantic, and those hundreds of thousands of coastal residents and businesses welcome any development that makes risking their coast less likely.”

SELC’s Nat Mund, director of federal affairs, said:

“Secretary Bernhardt may be closely aligned with the oil industry, but he also recognizes the political reality of such an unpopular proposal. We can only hope this move represents a return to rationality and a genuine listening to the bipartisan voices that have asked the administration to stop this.”

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For more than 30 years, the Southern Environmental Law Center has used the power of the law to champion the environment of the Southeast. With more than 80 attorneys and nine offices across the region, SELC is widely recognized as the Southeast’s foremost environmental organization and regional leader. SELC works on a full range of environmental issues to protect our natural resources and the health and well-being of all the people in our region. www.SouthernEnvironment.org