State Port Pilot, 01.18.23
A recent letter to this newspaper asked local citizens and communities to pull together and develop a plan to address the threat of uncontrolled growth/development in our area. That letter was spot on.
I would like to add – for those who need convincing – that even when it seems like a long shot, fighting the good fight can yield a win.
Long-term residents of our area will recall the citizens group No Port Southport, which some years ago successfully warded off plans to build a huge and very controversial super-port right here in our own backyard.
Another example involves big oil. A few years ago, the federal permitting process to allow oil drilling off our southeast Atlantic coast was nearing completion and oil drilling firms were gearing up. Local groups like Crabby About Drilling and BEAT (Brunswick Environmental Action Team), as well as OCEANA, protested and spread the word.
Our spirits were lifted when 15 South Carolina towns brought a lawsuit against the federal government citing endangered species and damage to coastal businesses. Several state governments and major environmental groups signed onto that lawsuit, as did Sunset Beach, Oak Island and Caswell Beach.
Although stalled in the courts, the lawsuit was a rallying point and amplified the drum beat of anti-drilling publicity. Success came amid the 2020 presidential campaign, when then-President Trump announced a moratorium on drilling off the southeast Atlantic coast. Someone coined a term for this turn of events: “trickle-up politics.”
Of course, the current threat – uncontrolled development – is not directly analogous, but if we pull together, develop a plan and fight for it, there could be a positive impact.
Not taking action means letting short-sighted developers “kill the goose that laid the golden egg.”
Judith Droitcour
Caswell Beach