Ten years ago, we were aghast to witness one of the world's worst offshore drilling catastrophes - the deadly explosion and sinking of the Deepwater Horizon rig in the Gulf of Mexico. An estimated 4.8 million gallons of oil spilled from the underwater well and, even now, scientists have found oil remains in fish and on the ocean floor in the region.
The danger of that kind of disaster is one reason why the Sierra Club has long fought against drilling off the North Carolina coastline. And we'll keep fighting as long as the threat against our ocean environment and coastal communities remains.
Penny Hooper, a longtime leader in our Croatan Group, explains in this video interview why and how the N.C. Sierra Club is part of this fight. Her story is one of many we'll share about the Chapter's work this year, as we celebrate our 50th anniversary as part of the nation's oldest environmental advocacy organization.
We work with other North Carolina organizations in the Don't Drill NC coalition to fight offshore drilling and seismic testing. You can keep up with the coalition's work on its website.