Seacoast residents can weigh in tonight on a federal proposal to drastically expand offshore drilling around the country.
The North Atlantic makes up about 3 percent of the oil and gas resources federal officials want to put up for lease. Governor Chris Sununu and many other Northeast lawmakers oppose the plan.
It's still in draft form, and federal officials are collecting written public input. But their local meetings on the plan -- including in Concord on March 5 -- won't include verbal testimony.
Cathy Corkery directs the Sierra Club in New Hampshire, and she says concerned locals need that opportunity.
"We might just have a small part of the coast in the Gulf of Maine, but it plays a huge role in the economy for the Seacoast," she says.
Sierra and other environmental groups will hold a forum on the drilling plan from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Rye Public Library.
Attendees' testimony will be sent as public comments to the Department of the Interior.
