Seismic blasting is a controversial technique used to map offshore oil reserves. In January of 2017, the Obama administration officially denied applications for seismic blasting in the Atlantic, but the Trump administration reversed that decision with an executive order a few months later. The announcement brought many in coastal communities out to protest, stating concerns about the impact of seismic blasting on marine life and tourism.

Seismic blasting off NC Coast

Host Frank Stasio talks with Adam Wagner, an environment reporter with the Wilmington Star News, and Doug Nowacek, a professor of conversation technology at Duke University about what seismic blasting means for the Carolina coast.