WASHINGTON, October 17, 2013 – Seventy-seven percent of voters in South Carolina support offshore drilling for domestic oil and natural gas resources, according to a new poll conducted by Harris Interactive for API’s “What America is Thinking on Energy Issues” series. This support bridged across party lines, with clear majorities of Republicans (88 percent), Democrats (67 percent) and Independents (77 percent) all in favor of offshore drilling.

“South Carolinians want every opportunity to create jobs and boost the state economy,” said Kay Clamp, executive director of the South Carolina Petroleum Council. “The United States is leading the world in energy development, and allowing South Carolina to produce offshore energy could mean increased revenues to ease the pressure on government budgets.”

In South Carolina, 91 percent of voters also say producing more oil and natural gas here at home is important. Again, there was broad agreement between Republicans (95 percent), Democrats (88 percent) and Independents (95 percent).

The Obama administration will soon begin work on its next five-year offshore leasing plan, in which areas of the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) could be included for oil and natural gas leasing. Early next year, the administration is also expected to decide whether to permit seismic surveys in the Atlantic from Delaware to northern Florida for the first time in 30 years.

Seismic surveys, which have been used safely around the world for decades, are the most accurate method available to prospect for oil and natural gas reserves offshore apart from drilling. More accurate survey data makes offshore energy production safer and more efficient by reducing its environmental footprint. Technological advances and data collection improvements since seismic surveys were last conducted in the U.S. Atlantic OCS have rendered old resource estimates obsolete.

The South Carolina Petroleum Council is a division of API, which represents all segments of America’s technology-driven oil and natural gas industry. Its more than 550 members – including large integrated companies, exploration and production, refining, marketing, pipeline, and marine businesses, and service and supply firms – provide most of the nation’s energy. The industry also supports 9.8 million U.S. jobs and 8 percent of the U.S. economy, delivers $85 million a day in revenue to our government, and, since 2000, has invested over $2 trillion in U.S. capital projects to advance all forms of energy, including alternatives.

Methodology The telephone study was conducted on September 24-30, 2013 by Harris Interactive on behalf of the American Petroleum Institute (API) among 605 registered voters in South Carolina, with a sampling error of +/- 4 percent. Harris Interactive is one of the world’s leading custom market research firms, known widely for the Harris Poll. For more information, visit www.harrisinteractive.com.

"What America is Thinking on Energy Issues" is a public opinion series provided by API, offering data to inform policy discussions and ensure policymakers and others know Americans' perspectives on key energy issues.