ATLANTA (AP) — A bipartisan group of Georgia lawmakers is trying again to have the legislature take an official position against oil drilling and seismic testing off the state’s coast.
Sponsors of resolutions introduced in both the state House and Senate held a news conference Wednesday, saying drilling would threaten local businesses, the environment and tourism along the Georgia coast.
Coastal lawmakers offered similar resolutions last year, but failed to get a vote in the Republican-controlled legislature.
The Trump administration is preparing permits to allow seismic tests that precede oil drilling off the East Coast. At least 10 states have joined lawsuits aimed at blocking those tests.
Drilling opponents say they’re encouraged GOP Gov. Brian Kemp has come out against drilling off Georgia. Kemp has largely been a supporter of President Donald Trump.