changes in any one county or state of the Mid Atlantic (13). Some develop- 

 ments, such as Brown and Root's proposed platform construction yard in 

 Northampton County, Virginia, at the tip of the Delmarva Peninsula, will 

 produce significant local changes (30). The Brown and Root proposal would 

 remove up to 2,000 acres from active farming or wildlife habitat area, 

 would impact on nearshore Chesapeake Bay waters, and would employ almost 

 1,500 persons (about 29% of the 1975 population level of the county) (30). 



Secondary impacts would also be highly significant, although Planners, 

 Inc. estimated that the incremental effect of offshore drilling in the 

 South Atlantic is unlikely to increase population growth in the region by 

 more than 100,000 additional persons by the year 2000 given the assumption 

 of crude oil imports and refinery/petrochemical self-sufficiency. This 

 would substantially affect schools, roads, police and fire protection, 

 transportation, housing, shopping, and in general, induce a change in the 

 quality of life and type of life style previously followed in this rural 

 area. 



In a more general manner, the development period is commonly the time 

 when decisions with long-ranne consequences are made. Drilling platforms 

 must be constructed, oil refineries and gas processing plants built, 

 pipelines laid, storage tank "farms" developed, tanker ports readied, and 

 petrochemical and other oil-related businesses started up. Construction 

 employment peaks during the development period. 



However, the above direct effects of oil -related activities are only 

 one of the major problem areas. It is clear that the secondary impacts of 

 development may have a far greater impact on local communities and counties. 

 Since there has been no development to date on the Mid Atlantic and South 



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