No to Off-Shore Oil & Natural Gas Drilling, Yes to Alternative Fuel Sources.

We, the undersigned South Carolinians, do not want our coasts subjected to the environmental and economic hazards of off-shore oil and gas drilling. We instead urge our government, senators, representatives and legislators to pursue real energy solutions.


The reasons are obvious. The off-shore drilling industry would be a threat to our economic livelihood and our coastal environment. Why risk these when there are cleaner, cheaper, safer and reasonable alternatives?

South Carolinas ocean and beaches provides the economic lifeblood for our States number one industry; Tourism. From Myrtle Beach to Charleston to Hilton Head, our coastline has become a destination for thousands of vacationing families each year. Our coastal marshes and barrier islands are a sanctuary for wildlife, and are the breeding grounds for large variety of species that our marine fishing industries depend upon. These industries, and the communities that rely on them, are at major risk if we open our coast to the oil industry. One oil spill or accident would have devastating effects on our coastline and economy for years to come.

"Environmentally sensitive" drilling or "safe" drilling methods do not exist. While drilling technologies have improved, accidents can and do happen. In addition to the perils of oil drilling, offshore natural gas drilling would have substantial environmental consequences for our coast and marine life with routine air and water pollution and onshore industrialization.

Even if a major accident or spill were to never occur, there are routine discharges of spent drilling mud that contain heavy metals and other toxic materials which accumulate in marine organisms, and "produced water" pumped from below the seafloor containing elevated levels of radium, which contaminate seafloor sediments and marine organisms. Also produced will be substantial amounts of pollutants into the air from the massive machinery operating on each drilling rig, and the on-shore refineries and ports that will be constructed on our coastline.

It is short sighted and naive to believe we can achieve energy independence by opening our coasts to drilling. Many energy experts claim that opening our coasts to off-shore drilling would do little to lower prices or make us more energy independent. However, there are cleaner, cheaper and more efficient energy saving technologies that we can utilize. Bio-diesels, ethanols, hybrids, fuel cells, CNGs (compressed natural gas) are all being utilized today, and are in high demand. Five South Carolina State departments, the City of Aiken, Santee Cooper and SCE&G are already using these technologies.

And power conservation goes beyond the automobile. New energy efficient technologies are available in building products. Compact fluorescent bulbs, on-demand water heaters, window films, advanced HVAC systems, energy star-rated appliances and new construction products, practices and designs all can have a significant impact on energy usage.

Our ocean, coastal marshes and waters, marine fisheries industries, and most importantly, our tourism industry, are all at risk if you allow off-shore drilling. It would be short sighted and naive to believe we can achieve energy independence by opening our coast lines up to drilling. Plus, it is not worth risking these special places that are our heritage and our childrens legacy, which we hold sacred.

We ask you, our Representatives, to instead:
Help make these alternative fuels more available to people all over South Carolina. Challenge energy companies to double the number of E10 and E85 Ethanol fuel pumps at their stations within a year, and pledge to offer renewable fuel at half of all gas stations within the decade.
Encourage our legislators to assist in supporting and funding for bio-diesel production facilities.
Support legislation to make automakers increase the fuel efficiency on cars, trucks and SUVs.

We elect you to represent us and to honor our decision to keep them safe. Opening up the South Carolina coast to off-shore drilling is not the legacy you want to leave. We urge you to support and embrace real energy solutions for the 21st century that help protect our beaches, our coastal waters and economies, and to not step back in time and rely solely on the oil and gas industries.