On Wednesday, South Carolina’s Senate advanced a measure that would require the state to block new infrastructure to transport or process offshore oil and gas. This comes as state lawmakers fear the Interior Department will open the Atlantic coast to offshore drilling.
Republican State Senator Chip Campsen introduced a provision to the state budget that prohibits the state from approving any activity that would facilitate drilling offshore.
This would effectively kill plans to drill off South Carolina’s coastline even if it is included in Interior’s Outer Continental Shelf leasing plan, which is due to be released in the coming weeks, Reuters reported.
The South Carolina proposal is the latest action taken by a coastal state government against offshore drilling ahead of the release by the Interior Department of the 2019-2024 Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Leasing proposal.
Since 2018, six states passed legislation or amendments to restrict offshore drilling.
Earlier this month, Georgia’s House of Representatives passed a bill opposing offshore drilling.
The Senate passed the budget containing this measure 40-4. The House still needs to approve it.
