Taking a look at S.C. drilling

CONWAY -- The Gulf oil spill has raised many questions for the future of oil drilling off the Carolina coast, and the answers may be a long time coming, according to experts who spoke at Coastal Carolina University on Friday.

Academics from CCU and the University of North Carolina Wilmington discussed the consequences of the spill and drilling on tourism, the environment, energy policy and the economy this morning as part of its 13th Annual Economic Growth Summit. Most offered more questions than answers, pointing to areas where more research is needed.

Environmental risks

Past spills offer some hints at the effect a spill might have on the Grand Strand but hardly give a definitive model, said Jennifer Culbertson, a marine biology researcher at UNCW.

In the Carolinas, there are too many variables, such as the type of oil and the time of year of the spill, to say for certain what the environmental cost would be, Culbertson said. It's not for her to say whether the economic gain of drilling would justify environmental costs, she said.

Culbertson's research shows that oil spills affect the burrowing depth of fiddler crabs, a common species on the Carolina coast that helps recycle nutrients for marsh grass.

The spill and tourism

It's unclear how many tourists switched plans and chose to visit the Grand Strand rather than the Gulf Coast after the spill, although tourism is up significantly this summer, said Taylor Damonte, director of the Brittain Center for Resort Tourism at CCU.

"We have had a great summer, but there are a lot of other issues that have impacted that other than the Gulf crisis," he said.

The negative publicity from the spill undoubtedly brought some tourists to the Strand, but rising national demand for getaways is a larger factor that is driving up occupancy, Damonte said.