Governor Roy Cooper amplified North Carolina's opposition to offshore drilling in an in-person meeting with Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke on Saturday, urging Zinke to learn firsthand about the significant harm the state's coastline could suffer in the event of a spill or other oil industry disaster.
Zinke traveled to South Carolina and North Carolina to visit with the governors and other leaders in each state, both of which oppose the Trump administration's plan to open the Atlantic coastline - and virtually all U.S. coastal waters - to offshore drilling.
Cooper and Attorney General Josh Stein spoke after the meeting Saturday to emphasize the state's widespread and bipartisan opposition. They reiterated that the state will sue should North Carolina remain in the offshore drilling plan.
Cooper emphasized that North Carolina's coastal waters are especially dangerous for drilling, given the ocean topography and severe weather, and the large, fragile estuarine system of the Inner Banks.
"They don't call it the Graveyard of the Atlantic for nothing," Cooper said. "It would be a catastrophe if there were an oil spill."
The only public hearing on the offshore plan is schedule for Feb. 26 in Raleigh, and Cooper said he asked Zinke to schedule three more in coastal communities: Wilmington, Morehead City and Kill Devil Hills.
In addition to Stein, Cooper was joined by DEQ secretary Michael Regan, local coastal elected officials, business representatives, fishing interests and science leaders.
Molly Diggins, state director for the N.C. Sierra Club, applauded the group's bipartisan, personal appeal to Zinke and called on the Trump administration to listen to states:
"It's important that we seize every opportunity for the Trump administration to hear from North Carolinians about what's at stake, as vividly as possible. Given that the only scheduled federal hearing in North Carolina on the offshore drilling plan is in Raleigh, we strongly support the governor's request for additional public hearings on the coast."
"It's essential that Secretary Zinke and the Trump administration understand the unique, significant dangers of drilling off North Carolina. Our concerns are based on scientific and economic data, not political bias."
"More than 30 North Carolina communities and thousands of state residents are adamantly opposed to offshore drilling. We're glad Governor Cooper continues to follow through on his pledge to tell the federal government, 'Not off our coast.' Hopefully, this meeting will make that message clear to the Trump administration."