Rehoboth to oppose seismic testing

Rehoboth Beach could become the third Cape Region town to oppose seismic testing.

The Rehoboth commissioners will vote on a resolution opposing the practice at their Friday, Jan. 15 meeting.

Commissioner Lorraine Zellers, who along with Commissioner Kathy McGuiness spearheaded opposition to seismic testing along the Atlantic coast, said, "I feel it's in our best interests to join with Dewey Beach, Lewes and Ocean City, Md., to oppose this."

Seismic testing is a surveying technique oil companies use to map the ocean floor and find potential spots to drill for oil. The process includes firing a seismic air gun into the ocean every 10 seconds, 24 hours a day, seven days a week for the duration of the mapping project, which could take a week to a month. Testing can occur only from April to November, and according to Matt Heim of the Assateague Coastal Trust, the air gun fires a sonic burst at 230 decibels, louder than a 747 jet.

Zellers said the intensity and duration of the sound is harmful to ocean wildlife. She said the possibility of an oil spill and harm to fishing business are too great a risk for the city to take.

Commissioner Stan Mills said he opposes aggressive seismic testing used for oil exploration, although he is not opposed to smaller-scale seismic testing used for offshore wind farms. Mills and commissioners Paul Kuhns and Toni Sharp supported the resolution.

Heim said while South Carolina officials are in favor of oil exploration off the Atlantic coast, every coastal town in South Carolina has come out against seismic testing. He said coastal communities in Georgia and North Carolina – two other states that supported exploration – also opposed testing.

In addition to Dewey, Lewes and Ocean City, the Delaware Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation and the Rehoboth Beach Homeowners Association also oppose.

In a letter to the commissioners’, the homeowners’ association said, “We depend so heavily on tourism, fishing and agriculture that even the smallest leak could destroy our economy and lifestyle for years.”