DEQ Secretary Regan says offshore drilling poses too many risks for N.C. economy, environment

The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Secretary Michael S. Regan released the following statement on the Interior Department’s plans, announced today, to open North Carolina and other East Coast states to offshore oil and gas exploration. 

“Offshore drilling and the seismic testing that would precede it pose environmental and economic risks to North Carolina’s coastal communities that we cannot afford,” Regan said Thursday. “Protection of our beaches, sounds and marine life is vital to ensuring a robust coastal economy.”

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