Following action by the Wrightsville Beach Board of Aldermen and the Wilmington City Council to formally oppose offshore oil drilling and seismic testing, Wrightsville Beach businesses are putting their opposition in writing.
So far, 30 town businesses have signed a letter that will be sent to Gov. Pat McCrory, urging him to ban offshore drilling. The effort, led by former Wrightsville Beach Mayor David Cignotti, intends to show the governor that it isn’t just environmentalists and idealists opposing oil drilling off the North Carolina coast.
“A good proportion of our businesses know they have a lot to lose,” Cignotti said. “If you stay silent, you’re telling the governor you’re for it.”
The draft letter to the governor notes that North Carolina beaches attract 11.6 million people annually, supporting a robust fishing and tourism industry that generates $1.6 billion in revenue and supports more than 50,000 jobs. The letter is part of the effort spearheaded by Environment North Carolina through the Don’t Drill NC campaign.
“When you drill, you spill, and day-to-day drilling operations result in chronic pollution and the industrialization of the coast for oil facilities,” the letter states.
The Wrightsville Beach Chamber of Commerce has also taken a position against offshore drilling. While the chamber recognizes the need for fuel independence, board member Sue Bulluck said support of renewable energy like wind and solar makes better sense.
“With the prices of oil dropping worldwide, it’s not prudent in terms of fiscal needs, and it’s not prudent to drill for oil and natural gas near a tourism-dependent shore,” she said.
Similar organizations in South Carolina and Virginia are also expressing opposition to offshore drilling. In July, the Wilmington City Council unanimously passed a resolution in opposition, joining Wrightsville Beach’s formal stance. The Wilmington Chamber of Commerce hasn’t taken a position.
Bulluck said adding the local business voice to the debate helps strengthen the power of the opposition. And businesses have a lot to lose if drilling off the North Carolina shore becomes a reality, even if a spill never occurs.
“Retirees who are spending bucks on retirement homes, folks who like using the beach, leisure fishermen, they all really shy away from areas that may be asking for trouble,” she said.
While the list includes businesses that cater to water sports and tourism, like surf shops, restaurants and the Blockade Runner hotel, it also has signers from companies with less of a direct connection to tourism.
One of those businesses, Hardee, Hunt and Williams Real Estate, had pointed questions for McCrory.
“I question the political motives of a governor who proselytizes for the oil industry’s interest in exploring oil and gas off the coast of a state whose biggest coastal industries are tourism and fishing,” said Randall Williams, broker-in-charge of Hardee, Hunt and Williams, in a written statement. “A responsible governor would be vehemently pushing back against the oil industry and doing everything he could to protect, in the case of Hatteras for example, a national treasure.”
Williams said nuclear power should be utilized over oil and gas drilling, while Cignotti and Bulluck said wind and solar energy should be more fully developed in the state, especially in windy areas like Hatteras.
While McCrory has supported offshore drilling plans, including expressing opposition to a 50-mile buffer, Cignotti said he hopes there’s still time to reverse course.
“I’m not sure the governor is listening,” Cignotti said. “We’re trying to get his attention.”
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