RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) – Gubernatorial candidate Pat McCrory joined top Republicans in supporting offshore oil and natural gas drilling Monday, saying it could relieve what’s becoming a national energy crisis.

McCrory said it’s hypocritical for politicians to take a not-in-my-backyard approach to oil exploration and drilling, especially because North Carolina’s energy demands are bound to grow with its population.

“If not here, then where?” McCrory said. “If we’re not willing to drill off our own coast, then where will you drill? Off
Venezuela? Off Nigeria? Off Saudi Arabia? Russia? Or other states, and then assume, ‘Well, we’re special?”‘

Related: Dole Changes Mind, Now Supports Offshore Drilling
Drilling would help North Carolina become less dependent on foreign countries, while creating jobs and generating revenue, McCrory said. Money generated by oil could fund road construction costs, mass transit systems and teacher salaries, he said.

President Bush has called on Congress to lift decades-old federal bans on offshore drilling along the Atlantic Coast, which
he said could yield as many as 18 billion barrels of oil. Lifting that moratorium would let states to decide whether to allow drilling off their shores.

But the federal government has said tapping that area wouldn’t significantly affect production or prices until 2030.

The president’s call has been backed by Republican presidential candidate John McCain. But most Democrats in Congress and McCrory’s Democratic opponent, Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue, oppose the plan.

Perdue questioned whether coastal drilling would be safe and effective, noting the threat of hurricanes.

“I haven’t seen anything that proves to me that drilling there can be done safely or bring down oil prices,” Perdue said in a
statement. “Until that day comes, our focus must remain on finding greener forms of energy and increasing conservation efforts.”

But McCrory said renewable and alternative energy projects must be coupled with production efforts.

“We need to take advantage of what our natural resources are,” McCrory said.

North Carolina officials generally have opposed coastal drilling because it could potentially damage the environment and the state’s tourism industry.

But with oil prices reaching new record highs, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole, who is running for re-election, last week stepped
back from her long-standing opposition to drilling off the Atlantic coast.

She recently said states should have the option of offshore exploration, as long as it’s safe and not visible from the coast.