Governor Deal Says He’s Cautious On Offshore Oil

Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal says it’s too early to take a “positive stand” on the idea of allowing oil drilling off the Georgia coast. Earlier this month the U.S. Department of the Interior proposed allowing offshore drilling for almost every U.S. coastline.

Deal said he’s concerned about the potential effect on tourism.

“I doubt that the coastline of the state of Georgia would be a profitable place for offshore drilling, and I think if it is considered to be so, we need to have a lot of discussions about that,” he said. “We don’t want to destroy whatever tourist trade we have, and it is a sizable tourist attraction along the coast of Georgia. We want to make sure that it continues to offer those opportunities for our state.”