LTE: Offshore energy promises economic windfall

Savannah Morning News | Derrick Hollie | February 27, 2019

The Savannah Morning News recently ran an editorial calling on the elected leaders of Georgia to block offshore energy exploration and development.

Blocking offshore development is a shortsighted policy that would shortchange millions of Georgians, including hard-working minorities, from economic growth and energy security.

Here are a few facts:

The black unemployment rate in Georgia is 2.5 times the white unemployment rate.

The poverty rate of both blacks and Hispanics in Georgia remains above 20 percent.

The fears that Georgia will have to choose between the tourism and fishing industries and offshore energy development are frankly not true. As a licensed captain, I’ve had the incredible opportunity to travel the Intracoastal Waterway and dock in Savannah — and I know firsthand the two can co-exist.

I recently had the privilege of touring Louisiana’s southernmost port: Port Fourchon, which services over 90 percent of the Gulf of Mexico’s deepwater energy production. Onshore in Port Fourchon you will find every type of equipment needed for offshore energy production, examples of true feats of modern engineering. Offshore, you see something different: fishing boats.

Read the full LTE here.

Derrick Hollie is president of Reaching America.