Protect our local beaches from seismic testing

As a native Carolinian, I am concerned about offshore oil and gas exploration off the coast of North Carolina and South Carolina.

When I was a kid, I traveled to Beaufort, North Carolina, with my family and saw my first wild dolphin. I remember my amazement as a young child, enthusiastically watching the dolphin swim alongside our boat. Dolphins and other marine mammals would be threatened by the offshore oil and gas exploration method of seismic testing. Dolphins use sound to communicate, hunt for food and avoid predators. Constant seismic testing could disrupt all of these behaviors.

The Obama administration is deciding whether to approve seismic testing in the Atlantic. As a current resident of Atlantic Beach, North Carolina, I urge my fellow coastal residents to take action against seismic testing.

This story was originally published September 8, 2016 at 3:47 PM with the headline "Protect our local beaches from seismic testing."