On one side are those who see the Atlantic Ocean as a rich oil source.

On the other are coastal business and community leaders who fear tapping it will ruin the coast and scare away tourists.

It’s a long-shot, but opponents are trying to stop seismic testing for oil and gas in the Atlantic Ocean.

They are raising concerns that tests could disrupt toxins from munitions, chemical weapons and radioactive waste that now sits undisturbed on the ocean floor.

For decades, the U.S. military dumped tons of munitions into the Atlantic Ocean, reported Tony Pugh of McClatchy newspapers’ Washington bureau.

Military officials thought the ocean was the best place to dump them to safely.

The Atomic Energy Commission oversaw dumping of thousands of drums of low-level radioactive waste.

The White House wants more offshore waters available for oil and gas drilling.

This would make it easier to use seismic testing to aid in finding oil deposits.

Leaders in SC and other coastal states say they fear seismic testing in the Atlantic may disturb long-forgotten hazardous waste and release toxic contaminants.

Opponents want to block seismic tests but they may be too late to affect the administration’s decision.

Five companies want to shoot pressurized air blasts into the ocean floor every 10 to 12 seconds around-the-clock in search of oil.

The tests will cover over 330,000 square miles from Florida to Delaware.

Federal officials haven’t decided if they will permit the companies to injure marine mammals.

This allowed opponents to claim that shock waves from the underwater air blasts could detonate or cause toxic chemicals to leak from tons of bombs and rockets dumped in the ocean from 1945 to 1970.

In all, 33 munitions disposal sites are scattered from Florida to Maine.

Atlantic dump sites not included in an Environmental Protection Agency report have received radioactive waste, said opponent Frank Knapp, president of the SC Small Business Chamber of Commerce.

James Porter of the University of Georgia said he doubts seismic tests will detonate long-discarded explosives but air blasts might open the weapons’ rusting, deteriorating containers.

That could release toxins, endangering marine and human life, Porter said.

Ken Milito of the American Petroleum Institute said the concerns are bogus.

“There is absolutely no evidence that seismic testing has or would have any impact on any kind of munitions,” he said.

“We’ve never seen that or heard of that. We think it’s just another fear-mongering attempt to try to create and stir doubts about our ability to do (the tests) safely.”