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I have seen many stories about offshore drilling for oil that say that opponents want North Carolina's government to forbid drilling anywhere off most of the N.C. coastline, even forbidding drilling platforms so far out to sea that they can't be seen from the beaches, so as not to disturb beachgoers.What I haven't seen is any mention of what power North Carolina would have to do this. I understand that all states except Texas and Florida (Gulf Coast) can exercise control only up to 3 nautical miles out from the low tide line, while the federal government controls the territorial sea out to the 12-mile limit and on out to 200 miles (the Exclusive Economic Zone).So how would any state, including North Carolina, get to dictate that companies could even explore for oil at some distance like 40 miles offshore? Have the governing laws and presidential proclamations been repealed?An important point: I believe the anti-drilling people are mostly the same ones who don't want wind turbines off the coast because they would spoil the view and endanger sea gulls.J.E. Williams, Carrboro
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