Five years after the BP disaster, a group of governors led by North Carolina's Pat McCrory is pushing for drilling in the Atlantic. A Facing South special investigation looks at the group's secretive ties to a dark-money nonprofit and energy lobbyists, a relationship that raises questions about transparency, ethics and the blurring of public and private interests. The first in a three-part series.
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After the BP oil disaster in April 2010, energy interests began covertly working with coastal state governors to expand offshore drilling in new areas, including the Atlantic Ocean. Earlier this year, the U.S. Interior Department announced a proposal to offer a drilling lease in the Atlantic as soon as 2017. (Photo: U.S. Chemical Safety Board.)
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<p>After the BP oil disaster in April 2010, energy interests began covertly working with coastal state governors to expand offshore drilling in new areas, including the Atlantic Ocean. Earlier this year, the U.S. Interior Department announced a proposal to offer a drilling lease in the Atlantic as soon as 2017. (Photo: U.S. Chemical Safety Board.)</p>