The U.S. House passed a bill Wednesday to ban offshore oil and gas leasing in the Atlantic. Though there isn’t any oil and gas drilling off the coast of Georgia now, the Trump administration has tried to expand exploration in the Atlantic.
Opposition to oil and gas development has been somewhat bipartisan in Georgia, with local politicians and businesses expressing concern about the effects on tourism and the environment. Gov. Brian Kemp has also said he’s against it.
But the Georgia delegation voted on H.R. 1941 along party lines, with all Democrats supporting it, and Republicans opposed. That includes Buddy Carter, the Republican who represents the Georgia coast in Congress, who had surprised activists when he came out against offshore oil exploration earlier this year.
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