How would Pat McCrory spend the oil proceeds?

The Republican gubernatorial nominee said today that he would allow oil companies to drill off the coast of North Carolina in exchange for a 37.5 percent share of the revenue from the federal government.

He mentioned several possible ways the money could be spent.

"I believe this additional revenue received (by) the state will help our education, will help pay our teachers, will help pave our roads, will help implement mass transportation programs ... will help replenish our beaches ... will help our criminal justice system and will help our overall budget during the next decade and beyond," he said.

Dome asked if McCrory would be willing to set aside the money for alternative energy, mass transit or conservation measures. He said he would push for a portion to be spent on alternative transportation, beach nourishment and protecting the coastline.

"I think I ought to let the legislature help decide where to best use that revenue," he said. 

State Sen. Fred Smith said the state should help pay for beach nourishment.

During a stop on his barbecue tour in Shallotte, the Republican gubernatorial candidate told the Myrtle Beach Sun News that the state and coastal communities should split the cost of pumping sand to replenish eroded beaches:

There is no single formula that he would follow, he said. Each locality needs to decide what it needs, and then a plan for it can be worked out, he said.

In the past, the federal government paid the bulk of beach nourishment costs, but it has reduced its spending in recent years under criticism from environmentalists.

That has left some coastal towns paying for beach nourishment projects on their own. 

Note to the Sun News: Smith is in his third term.