Basnight's appointees to drilling task force

Submitted by ryanteaguebeckwith on January 22, 2009 - 9:15am.
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Senate leader Marc Basnight chose experts on marine policy and oil and coastal officials for a task force on offshore drilling.

The Manteo Democrat named half of the 24 members of a task force that could spend as much as $100,000 and over a year looking into the state's position on drilling off the coast.

Former UNC-Wilmington chancellor James Leutze was his pick for co-chair. Leutze is a member of the Coastal Resources Commission and former member of the Marine Fisheries Commission.

Overall, Basnight's appointees include more scientists and local officials than industry representatives.

Other appointees include professors of nuclear engineering, marine sciences, marine affairs and environmental policy; representatives of natural gas and petroleum interests; a mayor, editor and publisher from coastal towns; and a Chamber of Commerce head from the coast.

After the jump, the names and job titles of Basnight's other 11 appointees.

Related: Hackney's appointees to drilling task force 

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Orlando Hankins: Associate vice president for Academic Affairs at St. Augustine's College and former faculty member of the Department of Nuclear Engineering at N.C. State.

Jane Lewis-Raymond: Vice president and general counsel at Piedmont Natural Gas Co.

Christopher S. Martens: Professor of marine sciences at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Mac Montgomery: Mayor of Kure Beach.

Mike Orbach: Professor of marine affairs and policy, co-author of the 1992 Environmental Science Review Panel report to the U.S. Interior Secretary on scientific data for offshore drilling in N.C.

Walter Phillips: Editor and publisher of the Carteret County News-Times in Morehead City.

Wayland Sermons: Town attorney for Bath and Chocowinity and member of the Coastal Resources Commission.

Laura O. Taylor: Director of the N.C. State University Center for Environmental and Resource Economic Policy and professor of agricultural and resource economics.

Paul Tine: Chairman-elect of the Outer Banks Chamber of Commerce.

Bill Weatherspoon: Executive director of the N.C. Petroleum Council.

Nancy White: Director of the UNC Coastal Studies Institute and associate professor of East Carolina University's biology department.

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