PRESS RELEASE

Date:       February 6, 2018
From:      Business Alliance for Protecting the Atlantic Coast (BAPAC)
Subject:   Business Alliance Congratulates Georgia State Legislators and City of Atlanta on Resolutions
Opposing  Offshore Drilling
Contact: Frank Knapp, President/CEO, 803-497-3204 (w), 803-600-6874 (c),
fknapp@protectingtheatlanticcoast.org

Columbia, SC—Bipartisan resolutions were introduced in the Georgia House (H.1041) and Senate (S.706) yesterday.  The companion resolutions read:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that the members of this body express their support for coastal Georgia tourism and fisheries and voice their opposition to oil and gas exploration and drilling activities, including seismic testing, off of the Georgia coast.

Also, yesterday the Atlanta City Council voted unanimously to support a resolution by Councilmember Carla Smith opposing offshore seismic testing and drilling for oil.

The Business Alliance for Protecting the Atlantic Coast (BAPAC) with its over 42,000 business and 500,000 commercial fishing family supporters from Maine to Florida commends the legislative and city council efforts and congratulates all the Georgia organizations that have worked on this issue.

“The Georgia legislators have taken a very important step in informing their fellow members about the threat that offshore oil exploration and drilling poses to the state’s tourism and commercial fishing industries,” said Frank Knapp Jr., president and CEO of BAPAC. “With these bipartisan resolutions, Governor Nathan Deal’s expressed concerns on the issue and the Atlanta City Council vote; we are confident that Georgia is beginning the process of rising up against the federal government approving offshore oil related activities that will harm the state’s vibrant economies.”

The House resolution was introduced by Representatives Wayne Gilliard (D-Garden City), Bill Hitchens (R-Rincon), Sam Park (D-Lawrenceville), Don Hogan (R-St. Simon’s Island) and Ron Stephens (R-Savannah). The Senate resolution was introduced by Senators Lester Jackson (D-Savannah), William Ligon Jr. (R-Brunswick), Harold Jones II (D-Augusta), Ben Watson (R-Savannah), Steve Henson (D-Stone Mountain) and Gail Davenport (D-Jonesboro).

Below is the text of the House and Senate resolution:

A RESOLUTION (H.1041 & S.706)

Supporting Georgia’s coastal tourism and fisheries and opposing seismic testing and oil and

gas drilling activities off of Georgia’s coast; and for other purposes.

WHEREAS, Georgia’s fishing and tourism industries and the state’s economy are dependent

on healthy natural environments and safe ocean systems along the Georgia coast; and

WHEREAS, Georgia’s coast supports a significant fishing and tourism industry, which

benefits the state economy in terms of 21,000 jobs and over $1.1 billion of Georgia’s gross

domestic product (GDP); and

WHEREAS, Georgia’s coast contains 368,000 acres of saltmarsh that provide essential

nursery grounds for fish, shellfish, crab, and other marine life important to the vitality of

local fisheries; and

WHEREAS, exploratory and commercial drilling, extraction, and transportation of offshore

oil and gas pose a risk of a spill that could adversely affect Georgia’s fishing and coastal

tourism industries for decades; and

WHEREAS, offshore drilling requires onshore infrastructure, such as pipelines or refineries,

which may compromise the character of our coastal landscapes and our communities; and

WHEREAS, scientific studies have found seismic testing to harm marine fisheries and

marine mammals that are important to Georgia’s coastal communities and economies; and

WHEREAS, seismic testing and offshore drilling risk the survival of the 400 remaining

North Atlantic right whales, Georgia’s state marine mammal that travels to our coast to give

birth and is considered the most critically endangered whale species in the world; and

WHEREAS, seismic testing and offshore drilling activities may interfere with critical

military preparedness, training, and testing activities taking place off the coast of Georgia

and at King’s Bay Naval Submarine Base and the Naval Undersea Warfare Training Range,

which is under construction; and

WHEREAS, more than 140 of Georgia’s towns and cities along the Atlantic Coast have

passed official resolutions against Atlantic drilling and seismic testing, including Savannah,

Tybee Island, Brunswick, St. Marys, Kingsland, Hinesville, and Porterdale; and

WHEREAS, 39 businesses in Georgia have come out publicly against offshore drilling and

seismic testing due to the adverse economic and environmental impacts; and

WHEREAS, a healthy tourism industry and economy are vital to protect the public health,

safety, and welfare of Georgia citizens.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that

the members of this body express their support for coastal Georgia tourism and fisheries and

voice their opposition to oil and gas exploration and drilling activities, including seismic

testing, off of the Georgia coast.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized

and directed to make appropriate copies of this resolution available for distribution to the

public and the press.

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