Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine plans to amend a bill passed by the commonwealth’s general assembly that would have supported lifting a moratorium on natural gas leasing and development on the Outer Continental Shelf from 2007 through 2012.
“My substitute limits the bill’s discussion of offshore natural resources to supporting federal efforts to determine how much natural gas is 50 or more miles off the Atlantic Coast. Before any meaningful discussion of offshore drilling, there must be some sense of the potential size of the natural gas reserve,” Kaine said Apr. 7.
“Absent that information, it is impossible to fairly weigh the benefits of offshore energy against the numerous concerns expressed by the public. Thus, my substitute does not take a position on lifting the federal moratorium on natural gas production or development, which is a question of federal, not state law.”
The moratorium bans surveys on Virginia’s portion of the OCS, a spokeswoman for the governor said Apr. 10. Kaine basically would support evaluating potential gas resources in the area if the federal government sought such an action, she told OGJ.
Kaine announced his actions on a package of bills that came out of the 2006 assembly 3 days before his deadline to do so. The assembly will reconvene Apr. 19 to consider his amendments, recommendations, and vetoes.
The original bill, which was introduced by Sen. Frank W. Wagner (R-Virginia Beach), was a comprehensive energy plan that would make it state policy to encourage its congressional delegation and federal agencies to support lifting the moratorium.
It also calls for federal legislation enabling Virginia to exercise exclusive jurisdiction over wind and other energy resources off its coast in addition to actions involving energy efficiency and alternatives.
Progress noted
Wagner told OGJ that Kaine’s action was not what he had hoped it would be but that it nevertheless represented significant progress because it signals the federal government that Virginia is interested in learning how much gas is off its coast.
“People are watching what Virginia is saying on this subject,” the state senator said. “With what the governor has said, and what we know to date, we have stepped in front in a bipartisan manner.”
Kaine commended Wagner for his efforts on the bill’s behalf “and for working with me on amendments to it.” Wagner said Kaine’s proposed amendments were expected to be in their final form by Apr. 12.
It was the second consecutive year that a Virginia governor rejected a Wagner-sponsored bill involving federally held OCS gas resources off the commonwealth’s coast.
Kaine’s predecessor, Mark R. Warner, vetoed legislation out of the 2005 assembly that would have instructed the Virginia Liaison Office to support efforts to lift the moratorium.
Warner said he vetoed that bill because it would have inappropriately put a state agency to work when the federal government needed to take the initiative.
The US Minerals Management Service responded several months later by including the area off Virginia in its proposed Outer Continental Shelf 5-year plan for 2007-12.
One of the state’s two US senators, Republican John Warner, introduced a bill on Feb. 15 with Sen. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.) to give each coastal state the right to opt out of a federal oil and gas moratorium if the state wants to pursue OCS gas resource development off its coastline.
“It’s not the end of the story,” state Sen. Wagner told OGJ. “We’ll be back next year. Our polls show 75% support in my district, 73% support in the oceanfront district represented by another senator, and 77.7% support in the second US congressional district in Virginia.” ✦