Ocean Pines Chamber of Commerce Opposes Seismic Testing for Offshore Drilling

The Ocean Pines Chamber of Commerce joins the Ocean City Mayor, City Council, the Fenwick Island Town Council, the Greater Ocean City Chamber of Commerce and numerous environmental non-profits in their collective opposition to any form of seismic testing in our offshore waters.

Ocean City Mayor, Rick Meehan, and the City Council recently put out a similar press release, in which, Mayor Meehan was quoted in saying, “The recent permits issued by the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration, combined with the pending permits being reviewed by BOEM, open the door for seismic blast testing and ultimately offshore oil and gas drilling off the Ocean City coastline,” Meehan continued.  “The short term benefits of oil and gas exploration or any large scale industrial activity in the ocean pale against the permanent catastrophic environmental and economic harm that such activity will cause. We are urging BOEM to preserve our beach and ocean by denying any permit applications related to oil and gas exploration and development off the coast of Maryland.”

The Ocean Pines Chamber of Commerce is proud to stand with and is resolute to support our neighboring community leaders in this opposition. “Disruption of our treasured ocean ecosystem is unacceptable. Local commercial fishermen are already seeing damage to benthic species due to other offshore activities.  Seismic testing will further alter migration patterns and drive away resident species.” says Ocean Pines Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Kerrie Bunting.  She continues, “Not to mention the ultimate goal of this testing is to determine if the area is appropriate for offshore oil and gas drilling.  We will whole-heartedly stand in opposition to that!”