Goodlatte wants Virginia option of Outer Shelf oil drilling

Sixth District Congressman Bob Goodlatte wants Virginia to have the option of exploring for oil and natural gas in the waters of the Outer Continental Shelf.
Goodlatte, R-Va., on Friday introduced legislation authorizing the governor of Virginia to petition the U.S. Department of the Interior for a waiver from the current moratorium to explore for oil and natural gas in the Outer Continental Shelf.
The congressman said Virginia’s OCS has 56 million barrels of recoverable oil and 327 billion cubic feet of recoverable natural gas.
The bill does not mandate offshore exploration, it just removes the federal government barriers to such drilling.
The congressman said the legislation would put the responsibility in the hands of the governor and the Virginia legislature. He said the energy crisis makes such an option necessary.
“Every day, folks across Virginia and the nation are confronted with the rising cost of energy, from the cost at the pump to soaring electric bills,” Goodlatte said. “I believe that Virginia should have every tool available to access its energy supplies. Unfortunately, a congressional moratorium on exploration of the OCS prevents the commonwealth from having every tool available to address rising energy costs.”
Goodlatte said there is a huge natural gas reserve stretching from off the Virginia coast to Canada.
Revenues would be split evenly with the federal government.
The federal share would go to the Clean Energy Fund. Seventy-five percent of Virginia’s share would be used to fund such projects as education, transportation, tax reductions, and coastal and environmental restoration.
Of the commonwealth’s remaining 25 percent, half would go to the Land and Water Conservation fund and the other half to a reserve fund to tackle environmental issues.
Goodlatte said he was frustrated by Congress’ inaction on the energy issue, particularly the obstruction of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
She has repeatedly opposed offshore drilling.
He said his frustration was heightened by the decision of Congress to adjourn for a month without any action on the energy problem.
“We must lift the moratorium on drilling along the Outer Continental Shelf and open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for drilling, potentially producing nearly a million barrels of oil a day,” Goodlatte said. “We must diversify our energy supplies with alternative sources, including renewable fuels and wind, solar and hydrogen power.”
Goodlatte said the renewable energy policy has to be developed without mandating use of a particular fuel like corn-based ethanol.
The congressman said he showed his support for renewable energy sources when he co-sponsored the American Energy Act two weeks ago.
Goodlatte’s Democratic opponent in November, Sam Rasoul, seemed more in agreement with Goodlatte on a broad renewable energy policy, but did not endorse his Outer Continental Shelf proposal.
“The focus needs to be on a long-term solution,” he said by phone from Harrisonburg. “There is a finite amount of easily recoverable fossil fuel. We need to look at viable energy alternatives that are renewable. That is where our money and our efforts as a nation need to go.”