It’s a thorny question: Can a state economy based largely on tourism afford to have oil and natural gas drilling offshore?

The answer, of course, depends on whom you ask.

Some say it could threaten the natural beauty of the beaches that bring so many people to South Carolina and Hilton Head Island.

Others say it could bring in thousands of high-paying jobs to a state struggling with a high unemployment rate and lessen dependence on foreign oil.

THE CASE AGAINST

The case against offshore drilling in South Carolina is being led by environmental groups. They warn of the possibilities of spills, tar balls washing up on the shore and little real change in gas prices or foreign dependency.

But the biggest problem for the environment and tourism could be all the activities that take place onshore, not offshore, said Hamilton Davis, a project manager with the Coastal Conservation League.

The pipelines, refineries and truck traffic needed to serve the offshore rigs would have to be built along the coastal area, and those things mean a decrease in air and water quality, Davis said.

Colin Hagan, federal policy associate for the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, pointed to his group’s research that some 880,000 gallons are spilled per year from current drilling operations in U.S. waters. Even if a company started the process to be approved for drilling today, it would be a decade before the first drop of oil was pumped, Hagan said.

That, coupled with the possibly meager oil reserves along the Atlantic coast, means any drilling would be too little and too late to change today’s energy issues, Hagan said.

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