JOIN THE CHAMBER
BUSINESS DIRECTORY
EVENTS CALENDAR
Offshore drilling and seismic testing are banned off the coast of Myrtle Beach, but the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is revisiting the possibility of opening our coast to oil exploration through the recently created 11th National OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program.
This could potentially open Myrtle Beach to the harmful effects of offshore drilling, which include harm to marine life, reduction in fish catch rates, and risk of catastrophic oil spills.
Myrtle Beach Area Chamber is strongly opposed to offshore drilling due to the dangerous environmental impacts that can negatively impact tourism and local businesses. We encourage our members and the community to voice their concerns and join us in opposing offshore drilling in the Atlantic Ocean. BOEM is taking public comments through June 16.
Share Your ConcernsTo make the process easier, we’ve included a sample comment below that you can copy and paste to get started.
Oil spills leave a legacy of destruction for people and wildlife. Seismic blasting for oil and gas exploration causes significant harm to marine life and can reduce fish catch rates, which is detrimental to fishing activities and coastal economies.
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, welcomed over 18 million visitors who contributed more than $13 billion in direct spending in 2024. Tourism supports over 82,000 direct and indirect jobs in the Grand Strand Area. Our healthy coasts keep our economy thriving; seismic blasting and offshore drilling put them at serious risk.
The Myrtle Beach area overwhelmingly opposes an expansion of offshore drilling. Tourism is the bedrock of my community, and a healthy ocean environment is crucial for our community to thrive. A major oil spill would have long-lasting consequences for small businesses, fisheries, and the thousands of jobs that rely on a healthy coastal environment.