Eastern North Carolina would be one of the biggest beneficiaries of offshore oil drilling if the state was permitted to do so, Republican gubernatorial candidate Pat McCrory said Monday morning.

Speaking during a campaign stop at the Greenville Convention Center, McCrory said pursuing offshore drilling permits would be one of his first acts as governor if he is elected in November.

The Charlotte mayor said he would meet with the Coastal Resources Commission to change coastal energy policies. He would then issue an executive order providing for safe, technologically sound deep-sea exploration and drilling before petitioning the federal government to permit North Carolina the right to drill off its coast.

Drilling could provide thousands of new jobs for the east and produce revenue which would go a long way toward balancing the state's budget, he said.

"The east has a higher unemployment rate and lower per capita income than the rest of the state, but it does not have to be that way," McCrory said. "With safe, environmentally sound drilling in the deep sea off our coast, we can create new high paying jobs, jobs that the people of our poor counties can fill."

North Carolina could see the financial benefits of offshore drilling within 10 years, he said.

Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue, McCrory's rival for the governor's seat, has said she is opposed to the idea, citing environmental concerns. Through a statement released Monday by her campaign, Perdue said she has not seen anything that proves drilling can be done safely or bring down oil prices.

"Until that day comes, our focus must remain on finding greener forms of energy and increasing conservation efforts," Perdue said.

McCrory said the product would be piped away from coastal counties to inland eastern counties for processing. That would minimize the chance of drilling impacting the state's coast, he said.

"The lieutenant governor claims one Exxon Valdez could destroy the entire coastline of North Carolina forever," McCrory said. "Listen, that was a boat in Alaska driven by a drunken sailor. We are talking about piping the natural gas and oil into the inland of North Carolina and not having the ships in the area. If drilling is good enough for off-sea in Texas, Louisiana and California, and even by the Chinese off the Florida coast, then why isn't it good enough for North Carolina?"

McCrory said the Manteo Project is evidence of the possibilities. The project, located 45 miles off the state's coast on the Continental Shelf, indicates there are nearly 1.5 billion barrels of oil or equivalent gas there, McCrory said.

Officials also project the area could contain as much as five trillion cubic feet of natural gas, the equivalent of 833 billion barrels of oil, he said.

McCrory said the state could see as much as a 37.5 percent revenue share if drilling is approved. The additional money could be used to protect the environment, help schools and address the infrastructure needs of the state, he said.

"At a time when the North Carolina budget is in dire shape, we think this will help bring more revenue to state government," McCrory said. "I'm not sure where else we're going to get that money in the next decade. It is our job as leaders to prepare for the future. I think future generations will depend on this."

Contact Brock Letchworth at 329-9574 or bletchworth@coxnc.com.