Offshore exploration a dangerous deal for Delaware

U.S. Interior Department Deputy Secretary David Bernhardt was in Rehoboth Beach for a recent roundtable discussion, and he got an earful from municipal leaders and business owners from across the political spectrum. They all had the same message: federal waters off the Atlantic Coast should not be opened to oil and gas exploration.

One by one, every stakeholder told him the risk a major oil spill could destroy the local economy far outweighs possible gains from limited oil reserves predicted to be found offshore.

State officials told the deputy secretary that tourists provide a huge boost to the state economy. What was a $1.9 billion contribution to the economy in 2008 shot up to a $3.3 billion contribution in 2016. Today, one in nine Delawareans work in tourism-related jobs.

Beyond the direct contributions to the economy tourism brings in, many visitors soon decide to stay or retire here, driving a construction boom and all the jobs that come along with it. Tourism has become an important driver of economic development throughout the state.

But an offshore spill could change all that overnight, starting with the damage to the environment. Even those who insist the threat to the environment is overblown must recognize the cost of an oil spill to the state economy. It would bring tourism and tourism-related growth to a halt and dampen our economy for years to come.

In the fall, U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke is expected to make a decision on whether to implement changes he proposed earlier this year that would open large areas off the Atlantic Coast to exploration.

The Cape Gazette joins with the many stakeholders who oppose the proposed changes to the National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program. The limited resources expected to be found do not outweigh the high risk to the environment and to our economy.

The comment period remains open. State and local officials, environmental groups, and the many employers and employees who work in tourism-related jobs must let their voices be heard.