Drilling it home.

• Position: EASTERN REGION

Opposition is mounting in North Carolina's coastal communities as the federal government considers opening the waters off the Tar Heel coast to offshore drilling. By mid-June, at least 15 boards in mostly coastal areas, including commissioners in Dare County, Wrightsville Beach and Emerald Isle, had passed resolutions opposing either offshore drilling or seismic blasting, according to Washington, D.C.-based environmental group Oceana. Local chambers of commerce, fishing industry groups and tourism boards also have spoken out. A meeting in March in Kill Devil Hills on the Outer Banks to get comments on the proposal drew a crowd of about 670 people--a record for the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. While some town resolutions call for more study, others are opposed to drilling and blasting no matter what.

But Gov. Pat McCrory and supporters have been vocal about opening up the state's shoreline. U.S. senators Thom Tillis and Richard Burr introduced a bill amendment in January to enable drilling in the mid- and southern Atlantic. McCrory says offshore drilling would add jobs and improve the state's economy. He's also pushing for revenue-sharing if drilling becomes reality. "With equitable revenue sharing in place, our state and coastal communities could receive almost $4 billion in combined public revenue over an 18-year period while more than $6 billion would be added to the federal treasury from North Carolina (Outer Continental Shelf) activity," McCrory...