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7 <br /> 1 Commissioner Pelissier said this resolution was shared with the jail alternatives work <br /> 2 group last week, and it was decided that the third item about the formulation of a team would be <br /> 3 discussed at a future meeting. <br /> 4 Commissioner Rich said Triangle J Council of Governments (TJCOG) should be <br /> 5 included in this discussion, and said this issue was part of their priority listing. She asked if <br /> 6 Commissioner Pelissier would share this resolution with them. <br /> 7 Commissioner Price said she brought this resolution template back from a NCACC <br /> 8 Board of Directors' meeting, and TJCOG Executive Director was part of this meeting and task <br /> 9 force. <br /> 10 <br /> 11 A motion was made by Commissioner Price, seconded by Commissioner Rich, for the <br /> 12 Board to approve and authorize the Chair to sign the attached resolution. <br /> 13 <br /> 14 VOTE: UNANIMOUS <br /> 15 <br /> 16 d. Resolution in Opposition To Offshore Exploration, Drilling Activities and Seismic <br /> 17 Blast Activities Off the Coast of North Carolina <br /> 18 The Board considered approving the Resolution in Opposition To Offshore Exploration, <br /> 19 Drilling Activities and Seismic Blast Activities Off the Coast of North Carolina, and authorizing <br /> 20 the Chair to sign the resolution. <br /> 21 <br /> 22 Commissioner Dorosin read the resolution: <br /> 23 RES-2015-044 <br /> 24 ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br /> 25 RESOLUTION IN OPPOSITION TO OFFSHORE EXPLORATION, DRILLING <br /> 26 ACTIVITIES AND SEISMIC BLAST ACTIVITIES OFF THE COAST OF <br /> 27 NORTH CAROLINA <br /> 28 <br /> 29 WHEREAS, Orange County is committed to being a sound steward of the environment; and <br /> 30 <br /> 31 WHEREAS, Orange County stands with coastal municipalities in their pursuit of prudent <br /> 32 shoreline protection and preservation; and <br /> 33 <br /> 34 WHEREAS, seismic air guns firing intense blasts of compressed air are among the loudest <br /> 35 human-made sounds in the ocean; and <br /> 36 <br /> 37 WHEREAS, these seismic blasts can occur as frequently as every ten seconds, for days to <br /> 38 weeks at a time and are loud enough to harm marine and aquatic life; and <br /> 39 <br /> 40 WHEREAS, the full impacts of seismic blasting and offshore drilling in the Atlantic are not yet <br /> 41 fully understood by scientists, the oil and gas industry, the Bureau of Ocean Energy <br /> 42 Management, or the Federal Government; and <br /> 43 <br /> 44 WHEREAS, exploratory and commercial drilling, extraction, and the transportation of offshore <br /> 45 oil and gas resources poses significant economic and environmental risks; and <br /> 46 <br /> 47 WHEREAS, offshore drilling activities pose specific threats for the offshore marine ecosystems <br /> 48 and coastal and river wetlands which are of intrinsic ecological value for numerous migratory <br /> 49 bird species, serve as essential nursery habitats for our recreational and commercially <br /> 50 important fisheries, and act as natural buffers from storm surge and hurricanes; and <br />