RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper has made a pitch to a Trump administration official about why Atlantic waters off the state’s coast should be removed from the federal government’s list of offshore drilling locations.
Cooper said he spoke Friday with U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and told him he wants the North Carolina coast exempt from the latest five-year Interior Department plan, just like what Florida got this week.
The governor talked during the call about the state’s coastal economy and the threat that drilling could have on millions of acres of estuaries. According to Cooper’s office, Zinke agreed to visit the state and will speak to local leaders and the congressional delegation.
Since Thursday, Zinke also has spoken to the governors of South Carolina and Delaware.
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