South Carolina's Republican Governor asks that Trump's offshore drilling plan exclude South Carolina

The Republican Governor of South Carolina appealed Monday to the Trump Administration to exclude his state from an impending plan for offshore oil and natural gas production.

The letter was sent as the Administration wrapped up a 45 day request for public input on a federal offshore leasing program. This could include new zones, such as in the Arctic or elsewhere, to maximize domestic energy production.

The current plan for five years, which was developed by former president Joe Biden's administration, only includes three sales of rights to develop oil and gas in the Gulf of Mexico. Congress mandated five-year offshore leasing programs have had between 11 and 40 sales in the past.

In a letter sent to Doug Burgum, Interior Secretary of South Carolina, Governor Henry McMaster stated that South Carolina couldn't afford to put its $29 billion industry at risk. This includes popular tourist destinations such as Hilton Head and Myrtle Beach.

McMaster wrote in his letter that "South Carolina’s coastline is among the most pristine and a drilling offshore is not in their best interests."

In a letter sent together with North Carolina’s Democratic Governor, Josh Stein to the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, the two governors asked the administration to maintain a drilling ban off their coasts, which President Donald Trump enacted during his first term.

Stein and McMaster wrote to BOEM (which oversees offshore energy developments for the Interior Department) saying, "We ask that you respect the wishes of the states and coastal communities and affirm President Trump's commitment to protecting our coastlines and industries that they support."

Trump announced the ban days before the 2020 election, in an effort to gain the support of voters. Both Republican and Democratic state governments were strongly opposed to an earlier plan of his administration that would have expanded offshore drilling along the U.S. coasts, including on the Eastern seaboard. Reporting by Nichola Grroom; editing by Mark Porter

(source: Reuters)