Will off-shore drilling ever come to Virginia? It may be a step closer after last week's news from Senators Jim Webb and Mark Warner.
Jim Hoeft at Bearing Drift wrote:
... both senators have co-sponsored legislation that will begin the process of lease sales off the coast of Virginia and ensure a 50-50 revenue split between the state and federal government.
“Our economy and national security will be strengthened by an ‘all-of-the-above’ approach to energy, including the expanded production of our own domestic energy resources. We should not be sending hundreds of billions of dollars each year to oil-producing countries that do not like us, ” Senator Warner said. “This legislation jump starts a multi-year process that will include responsible environmental reviews, close consultations with NASA and our military partners in Hampton Roads, and this process will include multiple public hearings. Senator Webb and I firmly believe that Virginians should benefit from any energy resources that are developed off of our coast, and our legislation specifically requires the federal government to make reasonable royalty payments to the Commonwealth.”
Recognizing and appreciative for the Democratic senators' stand, Republican Governor Bob McDonnell thanked them:
“We need more safe and reliable sources of domestic energy. We need more jobs. Utilizing our offshore oil and natural gas resources accomplishes both of these goals,” said McDonnell. “I urge the United States Congress to take up this legislation immediately, and pass it swiftly. It is time we got serious about American energy security. This legislation does that. I thank the Senators for their efforts, and look forward to working with them to get this legislation passed and offshore oil and natural gas production underway in Virginia.”
Sometimes working for what is best for the residents of Virginia goes beyond my-way-or-the-highway party politics and requires statesmanship and leadership.
4 comments:
"Sometimes working for what is best for the residents of Virginia goes beyond my-way-or-the-highway party politics and requires statesmanship and leadership. "
Maybe you should send this message to the GOP leadership.
Zen! You've been gone forever!
But I'm a little puzzled ... Bob McDonnell IS GOP leadership and he thanked the two Dem senators. Someone else you were thinking of...?
Not gone. And please, not forgotten. ;) I float around once in a while.
I hope you're doing well.
I thought you might have figured it out...Mitch and John.
I was thinking more like local politics. We'll see what happens in DC....
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