South Atlantic Offshore Drilling Forum

Concerned about the recent proposal to open up the Southeast coast to offshore drilling? SELC and partners are hosting a public forum with leading experts to explore the risks drilling poses to coastal and marine environments.

The South Atlantic Offshore Drilling Forum: An Investigation of Potential Impacts on Our Coasts will be held March 12, 2015, at the William & Ida Friday Center for Continuing Education in Chapel Hill, NC. The event is free and open to the public.

Sessions will feature scientists and policymakers talking about the history of offshore drilling in the Southeast, what we’ve learned about the risks and impacts oil drilling – from both catastrophic oil spills and day-to-day operations – and what is at stake for the region’s fisheries, marine mammals, marshes, beaches, and the communities and economies that depend on them.

Speakers will include:

• Dr. Pete Peterson – Alumni Distinguished Professor of Marine Sciences, Biology, and Ecology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• Dr. Leonard J. Pietrafesa – Professor Emeritus in the Department of Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences at NC State University
• Dr. Larry Cahoon – Professor of Biology and Marine Biology at the University of North Carolina Wilmington
• Dr. Andy Read – Stephen A. Toth Professor of Marine Biology at the Duke University Marine Lab
• Former North Carolina Chief Justice Willis Whichard
• Dr. Chris Haney – Chief Scientist, Defenders of Wildlife

An evening event will showcase the stories of individuals and communities who have lived with drilling and its impacts on their coasts, including the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon disaster and oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

We hope you can join us to hear important information and perspectives on one of the most critical issues facing the Southeast.

Register Now