WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) issued the following statement after the Obama Administration reversed its position and announced mid- and South Atlantic coastal states, including North Carolina, would not be eligible for offshore energy exploration:

“I am extremely disappointed in the Obama Administration’s decision to effectively end this debate before it even starts. I will continue to work with my colleagues to pursue safe and responsible energy exploration opportunities that will create good-paying jobs and move America closer to energy independence.”

The President’s announcement today is a complete reversal of a plan he previously supported to permit offshore energy exploration off the southeast Atlantic coast for the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Leasing Program for 2017-2022. In response to the original plan, Senator Tillis joined a bipartisan group of Senators to introduce legislation that would allow mid- and South Atlantic coastal states – Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia – to share in the revenue from energy resources developed offshore, an arrangement similar to that of Gulf Coast states.

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