Could oil industry mean $1.5 billion for South Carolina? Lowcountry leaders question figures

[TexasTowelie]

Lowcountry leaders opposed to offshore drilling off the South Carolina coast pushed back against a recent oil industry report that drilling and exploration could be worth more than a billion dollars to the state.

Tapping oil and natural gas reserves in federal waters could be worth $1.5 billion in tax revenue to South Carolina over 20 years, an American Petroleum Institute report released Nov. 15 said.

Beaufort Mayor Billy Keyserling, who has helped spearhead opposition from local governments along the coast, dismissed the number as not being worth the risk to the state’s tourism economy and jobs.

Oil rig workers would come from out of state and not create local jobs, he said. He noted reports of the possibility seismic testing could disturb discarded military munitions and toxic waste dumped in the Atlantic Ocean by the federal government over the years.

Read more: https://www.islandpacket.com/latest-news/article221944525.html

[liberal N proud]

1. A destroyed coast is not worth anything

The people here value the environment as it is. Try cutting down a tree here.