Bob Dole: “the long-standing moratorium in place on oil and gas exploration in the Outer Continental Shelf has protected our vital…”

“the long-standing moratorium in place on oil and gas exploration in the Outer Continental Shelf has protected our vital coastal areas from drilling. This moratorium has worked. Over the last quarter century, North Carolina's coast has become an increasingly popular destination. North Carolina's Outer Banks are world-famous for their beauty. The influx of tourists have brought much needed dollars and jobs and lifted up what previously were some of the poorest counties in the state. Today, however, our coastal communities and economies face a great threat--the provision that would allow individual states to ``opt out'' of the moratorium, and not just for exploration but for actual drilling off the coast. A State's decision to opt out of the moratorium and drill for oil would obviously affect its neighboring States. Water borders are not like land borders. Water actually knows no borders. It is fluid, continuously flowing and moving. An environmental hazard caused by drilling off the coast of one State would not be problematic for just that State. An oil spill would just keep spilling across these supposed ``borders,'' polluting the waters and beaches of neighbor States. This is just common sense. It would negatively impact water quality, fisheries, wildlife, tourism and local economies. As I stated Tuesday during another offshore drilling debate, drilling off our coast would endanger North Carolina's booming tourism industry, a true economic engine of my state.…”