Press release
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In response to a request from Congressman Walter B. Jones (NC-3) and the Dare County Board of Commissioners, the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has agreed to hold an additional public scoping meeting on the Outer Banks regarding the federal government’s proposal to conduct an oil and gas lease sale off the coast of North Carolina between 2017 to 2022.
The meeting is expected to take place in mid-March, although a specific date, time and location have not yet been set.
Jones formally requested the meeting in a Feb. 5 letter to the director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), Abigail Ross Hopper.
The only public meeting that BOEM had previously scheduled in North Carolina took place Feb. 17 in Wilmington.
Jones and Dare County commissioners made the case that because Wilmington lies in the southeastern corner of the state, many citizens from the northern part of the coast who would like to attend the meeting would not be able to due to the geographic distance involved.
“It is vitally important for the federal government to receive the input of citizens who stand to be most impacted by this proposal,” Jones said. “I am thankful to Director Hopper for granting this request so that those living in the northern part of the state can participate in this process.”
Below is Jones’ letter requesting a meeting in Dare County.
