Coastal cities in South Carolina could be in trouble.

The federal government wants to allow seismic testing for oil and natural gas off SC’s coast.

South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson last week filed a motion in federal court asking for a preliminary injunction to block possible offshore testing.

The motion is in support of a lawsuit filed by coastal cities and the South Carolina Coastal Conservation League against the National Marine Fisheries Service and the US Secretary of Commerce.

They approved seismic testing permits for companies to start looking for oil and natural gas by firing air-gun blasts at the ocean floor.

Wilson says the injunction is needed to prevent irreparable harm to marine wildlife the airgun blasts would cause.

The motion argues that the testing would create a “public nuisance” for South Carolina, affecting the state’s fishing and tourism industries.

Horry, Georgetown, Charleston, and Beaufort counties generate more than $13.5 billion in tourism a year.

From 2007 to 2014, the economic value of coastal businesses grew from $37 billion to $44 billion, according to the most recent National Ocean Economic Program report.

“This economic growth is reliant on a vibrant and healthy marine ecosystem,” Wilson said.

Testing would violate the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act, the Endangered Species Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, and the Administrative Procedures Act, according to Wilson.

The motion also claims blasting would conflict with ongoing Department of Defense activities in the region.