Va. Senators Push Offshore Drilling

- Va. Senators Push Offshore Drilling

Friday, July 08, 2011
Daily Press, Newport News, Va.
by Cory Nealon

U.S. Sens. Jim Webb and Mark Warner, both Virginia Democrats, introduced legislation to compel the federal government to open Virginia's coast to oil and natural gas exploration.

In a joint statement issued Wednesday, the senators said the United States can reduce its reliance on foreign oil and cut trade deficits by tapping into domestic energy reserves.

"We must pursue robust policies that include the expansion of our domestic energy resources in a safe and secure manner even as we develop conservation, renewable and efficient energy measures," Webb said.

The bill comes seven weeks after Democrat senators rejected similar legislation approved by the Republican-led House of Representatives. Unlike the failed GOP bill, Webb and Warner's proposal would direct to Virginia 50 percent of the revenues generated from offshore drilling.

Neither Webb nor Warner estimated how much money Virginia might receive or how many jobs the industry might create.

Citing data from the Southeast Energy Alliance, Gov. Bob McDonnell previously said that 80 percent of Virginia's share of revenues would equal $132 million annually. According to a 2010 state law, that money would be directed to transportation projects while the remaining 20 percent would be used to promote offshore wind power.

Like McDonnell previously, the senators called on the Department of Interior to expand the 2.9-million acres -- a tract slightly larger than Delaware -- under consideration for drilling. Located 50 miles off Virginia's shore, the area could provide 6.5 days worth of oil and 18 days of natural gas for the U.S., according to decades old seismic data.

The senators also directed the Interior Department to begin leasing sites off the coast as early as 2012. The plan may face resistance from inland lawmakers, such as Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-New Mexico, who previously fought efforts to give Virginia a share of drilling revenues.

Virginia was set to become the first Atlantic coast state to allow offshore drilling but the Deepwater Horizon accident, which killed 11 and sent a deluge of oil into the gulf last year, prompted the Obama administration to shelve the plan.

Environmental activists, citing the growing demand for oil in China, India, and other countries, said offshore drilling will do little to bring down high gasoline prices. They said the U.S. should invest in renewable energy sources.

"People still remember the disaster in the gulf coast just last year and do not want to see a similar tragedy visited upon Virginia Beach," Glen Besa, director of Sierra Club's Virginia chapter, said in a statement.

Both the Navy and NASA previously expressed concerns about the proposed drilling area. The Navy conducts training exercises off the coast while NASA launches rockets from Wallops Flight Facility on the Eastern Shore.

Webb, Warner, and other politicians say the offshore drilling industry and associated federal agencies co can co-exist.

Copyright (c) 2011, Daily Press, Newport News, Va.

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Va. Dem Bucks Administration on Offshore Leasing

Va. Dem Bucks Administration on Offshore Leasing

Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Daily Press, Newport News, Va.
by Cory Nealon

There's nothing like a politician not seeking re-election.

Case in point: U.S. Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va.

Since announcing in February he would not seek re-election, Webb has bucked President Barack Obama, a fellow Democrat, on a handful of issues.

First, he criticized Obama's handling of the turmoil in Libya. Next, he backed a bill that would've halted the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from regulating greenhouse gases, which Obama favors because the Senate didn't pass energy legislation in 2009.

Now he's calling on Obama to open Virginia's coast to oil and natural gas exploration.

"As gas prices rise, in part due to America's dependence on foreign oil, we must pursue robust energy policies that include the expansion of our domestic energy resources in a safe and secure manner, as well as conservation and clean energy measures," Webb said in a statement issued by his office last week.

He also asked Obama to expand the 2.9-million acre tract -- slightly larger than Delaware -- located 50 miles off Virginia's shore that was previously considered for drilling.

The request comes a little more than a year after Obama announced he would open much of the East Coast, including Virginia, to drilling. Obama scrapped the plan, however, after last year's Gulf of Mexico oil spill, which killed 11 and caused untold damage to the gulf's ecosystem.

For those of you keeping tabs at home, the offshore drilling bill that Webb supports comes from Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Roanoke -- the same lawmaker trying to curtail the EPA's aggressive Chesapeake Bay Restoration plan.

Who says the House and Senate can't work together?

Global warming

I got a fair amount of feedback -- most of it critical -- about an article last week concerning global warming skeptic Roy W. Spencer.

Spencer spoke at the Environment Virginia Symposium at the request of Gov. Bob McDonnell's administration.

Spencer said that he agrees with most of what the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change -- the body of scientists that shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with former Vice President Al Gore -- has to say about global warming.

However, he highlighted gaps in the panel's data and questioned whether mankind is causing the Earth to warm through its use of fossil fuels.

The view is not popular among environmental activists and scientists, both of whom have criticized the media for giving Spencer and similar-minded scientists a platform to expound their views.

What I haven't heard is anyone complaining that Spencer said something false or inaccurate. Instead, the gripes centered on his conservative and evangelical affiliations, which were pointed out in the article.

If you still feel he doesn't deserve a seat at the table, my phone number and email are below. As always, comments are welcomed.