Offshore Drilling & the N.C. Coast

  • Seismic Tests Not Imminent

    The Atlantic is considered a “frontier” for offshore energy exploration as it hasn’t been a target of oil companies since the early 1980s.

  • What’s Out There?

    The federal government estimates the amount of recoverable oil in the Atlantic at about 4.7 billion barrels. Natural gas stands at 37.5 trillion cubic feet – but nobody knows.

  • Oil: Between a Rock and a Hard Place

    Oil and natural gas come from ancient organisms – tiny plants, algae and bacteria mainly – that were powered by the sun during various stages of Earth’s geologic history.

  • Top Jobs in the Oil Industry

    Jobs in oil and gas production can be highly technical, complex, demanding and, in many cases, come with high-paying salaries.

  • Drilling Pros: Jobs, Jobs, Jobs

    Proponents of offshore drilling predict that a massive new workforce could be on North Carolina’s horizon if oil and gas resources are tapped in the Atlantic Ocean.

  • Benefits Based on Assumptions

    Politicians say states’ investments needed to support offshore oil and gas development warrant revenue sharing but laws must be changed for that to happen.

  • 25 Years Later, Studies Still Needed

    A federal report done in 1992 highlighted research that needed to be done to better gauge the effects of drilling on the N.C. coast. Nothing ever came of it.

  • Industry Works to Prevent Another BP

    Since the Deepwater Horizon, the oil industry has worked hard to improve the safety of drilling in deep water with better standards, practices and equipment.

  • Industry Would Change Landscape

    If oil or natural gas industry comes to the N.C. coast, it will require infrastructure and service facilities and change the way of life here.

  • Oil Prospects vs. Tourism Reality

    Coastal N.C. residents worry that promises of economic benefits from offshore oil and gas aren’t worth the risks to their proven, primary industry: tourism.