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Save the Outer Banks

The Outer Banks are some of the most treasured and visited beaches in the country. Drawing more than 7 million visitors every year, North Carolina’s “ribbon of sand” is central to the state’s tourism industry.

But these fragile islands are under siege. President Obama has opened the door to oil and gas drilling off our coast, and Big Oil has its sights set on The Point—a spot off Cape Hatteras that’s one of the most ecologically diverse in the world.

Environment North Carolina is working to protect the Outer Banks for future generations.

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This map was created by superimposing the Gulf spill oil slick over one of the proposed drilling points off the North Carolina coast. Differences in currents and weather conditions would change actual impact of a potential spill.

Latest News

After Yet Another Gulf Rig Explosion President Obama Should Permanently Ban New Drilling 9/02/2010

This morning, around 10:30 Eastern, another rig exploded into in the Gulf of Mexico. According to Coast Guard reports, the accident took place 80 miles off the coast of Louisiana on the Vermilion rig 380, which is owned by Houston-based Mariner Energy. Thirteen workers were on the rig at the time and all are reported to be safe.

Our Latest Reports

The Nuclear Bailout 6/16/2010

In February 2010, the Obama administration announced that it would help finance two new nuclear reactors at the Vogtle nuclear power station in Georgia, offering an $8.33 billion loan guarantee to Georgia Power (a subsidiary of Southern Company) and two other companies invested in the project. President Obama claimed that the investment was necessary to create clean energy jobs, stimulate our economy to export homegrown technology instead of importing foreign oil, and secure the future of our planet and our civilization by fighting the growing threat of global warming. However, this loan is an expensive gamble on a technology with a long history of bankrupting utilities and soaking ratepayers.

Working with the Sun: How Solar Power Can Protect North Carolina's Environment and Create New Jobs 5/26/2010

Solar power can curb pollution, protecting public health and North Carolina’s environment. It can also drive North Carolina’s economy forward – creating jobs that can’t be outsourced, and launching new companies to manufacture and install solar power equipment.

In the News

Duke considers closing old coal plants 9/02/2010

Duke Energy said Wednesday it might close seven coal-fired units at its Carolinas power plants within five years as environmental regulations intensify

Study ranks N.C. 8th on jobs potential from energy efficiency 9/01/2010

North Carolina ranks eighth among states with the greatest potential for economic development through energy-efficiency policies, according to a report by a national think tank and an energy-investment firm.

Vanishing ice caps have experts worried 8/23/2010

When Lonnie Thompson returned to a research spot on a Peruvian ice cap in 2007, he was surprised by what he didn't see. A lake that had developed in the 1980s and was there in 2006 was gone.