Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell remains at odds with President Obama over the issue of energy, even as Obama moved Thursday to fast track a critical piece of McDonnell’s own energy agenda. The Obama administration completed a review that showed offshore wind energy projects posed little threat of environmental damage, clearing the way for new wind turbines along the East Coast, including off the shores of Virginia and Maryland. Leases could be available for companies to bid on as early as this year.
McDonnell called the advancement of offshore wind farms an “important component of our overall effort to make Virginia ‘The Energy Capital of the East Coast.'” McDonnell has repeatedly indicated the state should take an “all-of-the-above” approach to energy production, incorporating existing oil and gas supplies with environmentally conscious alternative energy sources like wind power.
But just 20 minutes later the Republican governor blasted Obama for not including Virginia — or any Atlantic coastal states — among the areas the president reopened to offshore oil drilling last fall.
Congressional Republicans are pushing legislation that would circumvent the president’s directive on offshore drilling, and it has support from U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Jim Webb, both Virginia Democrats. The bill cleared a key committee Thursday.
“For too long, the Obama administration has hindered the development of valuable domestic energy resources located off the Virginia coast which provide the potential for a safe, cost-effective and economically viable source of domestic energy production for our state and for the nation,” McDonnell said after the vote.
McDonnell also briefly discussed the issue Wednesday with Interior Secretary Ken Salazar after the two spoke at a town hall meeting on tourism outside Richmond, the governor’s office confirmed.
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The decision to allow wind farms off Virginia’s coast is more in line with the Obama administration’s focus on subsidizing and promoting green, sustainable energy practices over traditional fossil fuels.
In addition to Virginia and Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey are also under review for wind projects. Virginia announced Thursday developers have 45 days to express they have interest in taking up the project.
A spokeswoman for Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, a Democrat who joined Salazar to announce the administration’s decision, said it “not only strengthens Maryland’s position as a leader in this innovative industry, but helps us all create a more sustainable future for generations to come.”
