Offshore drilling vote in Milton postponed

The offshore drilling vote has been postponed in Milton, Del. , but environmental officials tell 47 ABC they most likely follow suit with the 110 other towns and cities that have already taken a stand against it. 

The United States Bureau of Ocean Energy Management proposed opening up the Atlantic Ocean for offshore drilling starting in 2017. 

Monday night the Milton mayor and town commissioners  heard a presentation from the Assateague Coastal Trust about concerns over that proposal.       

Officials with the coastal trust say that offshore drilling carries a high risk for oil spills, but the risks start well before any drilling is even done. The seismic tests run before hand can disrupt sea life and be a nuisance to humans. 

“To find oil and gas deposits for offshore oil they need to go through thousands of feet of water column and miles of sea floor so they use an instrument called an air gun which emits one of the loudest man made sounds on earth it comes in at about two hundred and forty decibels so that’s a couple hundred times louder than a jet engine,” said Matthew Heim, outreach coordinator with the coastal trust.

Heim tells 47 ABC those sounds can permanently deafen sea life and would reportedly sound off every ten seconds, twenty four hours a day, seven days a week for the more than the one-month long process.

Milton officials will vote on whether the town will oppose drilling on February 15th.