HORRY COUNTY, SC (WBTW) – The topic of offshore drilling continues to heat up across the state. It was a major topic discussed by Horry and Georgetown legislators during a panel in Myrtle Beach Wednesday.
Some state lawmakers are showing support, but many local leaders are not on board. Over the past couple of years, a number of coastal communities passed resolutions against drilling for oil off the Carolina Coast. Last month the City of Myrtle Beach told News13 it wants to protect its most important asset—the Atlantic Ocean.
Now the Horry County Council Chair is also speaking out.
“Everything’s not always about money,” said Chairman Mark Lazarus. He said the economic and environmental costs of offshore drilling are just too high.
“You put these refineries, and then what detriment would it have if we have an oil spill or a leak?” questions Lazarus.
He and several Grand Strand leaders voiced their opposition to state house members during a visit to Columbia this week. State Senator Stephen Goldfinch of Murrells Inlet was there and sees the issue differently.
“It’s clean, it’s abundant,” he said. “It’s American made. Natural gas is the future.”
Goldfinch and other state lawmakers also discussed the issue during a meeting in Myrtle Beach Wednesday. Goldfinch said he wants the state to first find out what is actually out there.
“I think it’s absolutely foolish of us not to consider going out there and at least knowing what we have under the waves,” he said.
But Representative Lee Hewitt countered that, saying seismic testing cannot tell the difference between oil and natural gas. That requires drilling.
“It’s always great to know what assets you have, but to me, you’ve got to be careful,” Hewitt told the audience.
Goldfinch wrote lawmakers in Washington saying South Carolina could gain almost $4 billion from drilling and 35,000 jobs.
“It’s time for the coast to start thinking about economic diversity,” Goldfinch urged
But Lazarus said the risk is greater than the reward. “One negative effect, and a lot more jobs would be lost than will ever be created by this particular industry.”
Even with all the discussion, Lazarus said it ultimately will come down to the federal government. If the feds say this will happen, Lazarus said his hands will be tied, because drilling and testing usually happen in federal waters.
Goldfinch introduced a referendum last year to hear from the public on the matter, but the House has yet to take it up.