­­It’s rare in these tumultuous times that news comes out of Washington that doesn’t generate a divided response from the public, but that was the case with the announcement Tuesday by the Department of the Interior that offshore exploration for oil will not be taking place in the southeastern section of the Atlantic Ocean.
When Department Secretary Sally Jewell announced the decision to drop from the five-year energy plan the idea of leasing drilling rights off the coast, she said it didn’t make sense to put economic activities such as fishing and tourism at risk.
Even though the waters off Maryland were already excluded from the oil lease proposal, the sector just south, off Virginia, was part of the program and that’s close enough to pose a big risk to this area should an accident occur.
Obviously, crude oil slicks would not be washing up into the inland communities of Ocean Pines or Berlin in the event of a spill or other catastrophe, but the economies of both are closely tied to the well-being of the Maryland coast.
A large portion of Berlin’s substantial tourism market depends on introducing Ocean City visitors to the quiet charms of the town. Meanwhile, they don’t call it “Ocean” Pines for nothing. The community’s proximity to the beach and the coastal lifestyle that it engenders drives the local real estate industry.
Suffice to say, a fouled ocean would not be helpful to anyone or any industry in this northern Worcester County neck of the woods.
The department’s decision, through the Obama administration, reflects how deeply opposed residents, businesses, environmental organizations and elected officials were to this proposal.
In a letter to Jewell last March, Sen. Barbara Mikulski and other East Coast senators wrote, “Offshore drilling anywhere in the Atlantic has the potential to adversely impact our states’ fishing, tourism and recreation industries, our coastlines and our environment.”
Apparently, someone was listening, and that’s good for everyone who lives, works or plays here.