The Commonwealth of Virginia has been smacked down by the Obama administration in its desire to drill offshore for oil and natural gas. The announcement on Wednesday blocked oil and gas exploration on the East Coast, West Coast, and part of the Gulf of Mexico for at least seven years leaving the U.S. with limited options for developing its own energy independence from those sources.
The announcement scrapped plans by state officials to embark on proposed exploration off the coast anytime soon, something many legislators had hoped would become a reality. That disappointment was expressed by Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell:
The Governor noted that the country is experiencing one of the toughest economic times in U.S. history, and said oil exploration would have created jobs and expanded economic growth as well as help reduce American dependence on foreign oil.
Virginia’s Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling also commented about the decision, expressing his desire to increase America’s energy independence while providing billions of dollars in capital investment. He added:
Today’s announcement turned around a decision made eight months ago when Obama reversed a long-standing ban in a decision that would allow offshore exploration in the Gulf of Mexico and along part of the East Coast including Virginia. At the time it caused an uproar among environmentalists who demanded there be no new oil wells.
The game changer was the BP oil spill that occurred just three weeks later which caused the Obama administration to step back from its decision to allow drilling.
While Wednesday’s announcement was a win for environmentalists, it did little to satisfy Virginians who had hoped to benefit from energy profits to help with the ever-increasing costs of running government and transportation needs, and perhaps ease the cost of fuel to consumers.
A grassroots group concerned with fiscal responsibility from government at all levels took note of the Wednesday ruling. Americans for Prosperity’s Virginia Director, Ben Marchi, expressed the same concerns about jobs, energy independence, and fiscal benefits mentioned by others. His assessment was blunt as he commented:
Even Democratic U.S. Senator Mark Warner joined in with McDonnell, promising “to explore ways to re-examine this decision” and saying he saw no reason to wait another seven years. His sentiments were not shared by environmentalists who cheered the ban.
Meanwhile, other countries continue to drill. One of those is Cuba:
That’s a question others will also be asking.
