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The Trump administration on Friday approved permits for seismic testingon the Atlantic Coast, a prelude to offshore oil drilling and move that is sure to antagonize Republican governors and lawmakers in the Southeast, whose support the president will need in a 2020 re-election bid.

The National Marine Fisheries Service, an arm of the U.S. Commerce Department, approved permits for five companies to conduct seismic testing between northern Delaware and central Florida. That testing is expected to provide oil companies with valuable data on which parts of the coastal shelf contain oil deposits that could be extracted through offshore drilling platforms.

Environmental groups oppose the testing because of its potential harm to marine mammals, and coastal communities are livid that the White House would risk impacts to tourism.
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In Virginia, Democratic Rep. Don Beyer has introduced H.R. 2158, the Atlantic Seismic Airgun Protection Act, to prohibit such testing. “Given that the Trump administration has formally announced its intention to ignore the concerns of residents and stakeholders directly impacted by these actions, it is time for Congress to step in,” Beyer said. 

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