Responding to "market dynamics, strong local opposition and conflicts with competing commercial and military ocean uses," federal officials on Tuesday removed the mid- and southeast Atlantic coast from its offshore drilling plans.

For environmental groups in Georgia, the announcement was a sweet victory.

"Just as Georgia's businesses and coastal residents have been saying for the last year, 'when you drill you spill,'" said Jennette Gayer, Environment Georgia director. "Today President Obama heard them and protected marine life, world famous beaches and family vacations from Savannah to Cumberland Island."

More than 100 local governments from Virginia through Georgia have passed resolutions rejecting offshore drilling or the seismic testing required for exploration, including Tybee Island, Savannah, St. Marys, Brunswick and Kingsland.

"We are proud of the thousands of citizens who stood up on behalf of our irreplaceable coast," said Alice M. Keyes, vice president of coastal conservation with One Hundred Miles. "You don't have to live on the coast of Georgia to know how special this place is and how much we have to lose if the oil and gas industry is allowed to operate off shore."

Communities along the Atlantic were unified against the plan, said Sierra Weaver, senior attorney for the Southern Environmental Law Center.

"This is an incredible day for the Southeast," she said. "It represents the hard work of thousands of people and protects some of our most cherished places, from the Chesapeake Bay and the Outer Banks to the South Carolina Lowcountry and Georgia barrier islands."

Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and Abigail Ross Hopper, director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, announced on Tuesday the latest draft for offshore oil and gas leasing for 2017-2022. The proposed program still evaluates 13 potential lease sales in six planning areas - 10 potential sales in the Gulf of Mexico and three potential sales off the coast of Alaska.

"This is a balanced proposal that protects sensitive resources and supports safe and responsible development of the nation's domestic energy resources to create jobs and reduce our dependence on foreign oil," Jewell said. "The proposal focuses potential lease sales in areas with the highest resource potential, greatest industry interest and established infrastructure. At the same time, the proposal removes other areas from consideration for leasing and seeks input on measures to further reduce potential impacts to the environment, coastal communities and competing ocean and coastal uses, such as subsistence activities by Alaska Natives."

A first draft released in January 2015 included drilling off Virginia, the Carolinas and Georgia. Before the program is finalized and before any lease sales occur, the Interior Department will consider another round of public input on the proposal and its accompanying Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement.

Tuesday's proposal was informed by more than 1 million comments, 23 public meetings and extensive outreach with members of the public, nonprofit organizations, industry, elected officials and other interested parties across the country.

"We heard from many corners that now is not the time to offer oil and gas leasing off the Atlantic coast," Jewell said. "When you factor in conflicts with national defense, economic activities such as fishing and tourism, and opposition from many local communities, it simply doesn't make sense to move forward with any lease sales in the coming five years."

Drilling and oil industry interests maintain that offshore oil drilling is compatible with Georgia's $2 billion coastal tourism industry and would not imperil the environment, including the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale that gives birth here or loggerhead sea turtles that nest on Georgia beaches.

"It is difficult to put into words how wrong and anti-energy this decision is," said National Ocean Industries Association President Randall Luthi. "By not taking the long-term view, the administration sells U.S. consumers short. Instead, they have determined they are content to let the rest of the world lead in Atlantic offshore oil and natural gas development. This is the wrong direction in efforts to continue the U.S. march towards energy independence."

Despite opposition from coastal communities in the Peach State, the Georgia congressional delegation favored drilling, and Republican U.S. Sen. David Perdue condemned the administration's actions Tuesday.

"I doubt anyone is surprised to hear that the Obama Administration has decided to stop exploring our country's abundant energy resources in the Atlantic," he said. "Since President Obama took office, he has attempted to kill the coal industry, unilaterally regulate carbon emissions and use regulatory czars to impose his progressive climate agenda. Americans want to see us explore our full energy potential, and they are tired of lofty plans that don't actually produce results."

U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Pooler, who supports offshore drilling and said in February that he "never bought into the climate change," faulted the Obama Administration Tuesday for "flip flopping."

"I do feel like they're not letting science make the decision, and instead they're catering to special interests," he said.