A South Carolina congressman’s question over state authority over maritime territory and concerns about transparency may curb frontier U.S. oil developments. U.S. Rep. Mark Sanford , R-S.C., was joined by state and local officials in expressing opposition to permits to conduct seismic testing to get a better understanding of potential oil and gas reserves off the coast of South Carolina. The U.S. Interior Department in February released a draft proposal for 2017-22 for access to federal waters. Ten leases are planned for the Gulf of Mexico, three for offshore Alaska and one, a debut, for waters in the Atlantic. Sanford said state authorities are sidelined from the federal decision-making process for operations off their coasts. “It makes little sense to even conduct tests […]