Press Release
LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR BOLLING ASKS FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO PROCEED WITH OFFSHORE LEASE SALE
-Bolling says Governor Kaine's request to delay lease sale does not represent the opinion of all statewide elected officials or the citizens of Virginia-
Tuesday, March 03, 2009Richmond - In a letter to Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling today encouraged the federal government to move forward with the lease sale for energy development off the coast of Virginia. The letter was in response to a request by Governor Timothy M. Kaine to delay the lease sale.
"I am writing to respectfully express my disagreement with the Governor's position on this issue and encourage you to proceed with the Virginia lease sale," said Lieutenant Governor Bolling. "Proceeding with this lease sale is essential to furthering Virginia's efforts to develop our offshore energy resources. The development of these resources would create new jobs, contribute greatly to Virginia's economy and the national economy and help advance our efforts to achieve a higher degree of domestic energy independence."
Lieutenant Governor Bolling cited a study by Old Dominion University that gas production off the Atlantic coast near Virginia would, over a 10-year period, help create 25,778 jobs, induce capital investment of $7.84 billion, yield $644 million in direct and indirect payroll, and result in $271 million in state and local taxes.
"While I respect Governor Kaine's prerogative to request this delay, I did not want you to be under the impression that he speaks for all statewide elected officials in the Commonwealth. He does not," added Lieutenant Governor Bolling.
Lieutenant Governor Bolling has made the development of renewable and traditional energy resources, both on and offshore, a top priority. During the recently concluded General Assembly session, Lieutenant Governor Bolling worked with Senator Frank Wagner and legislators from both parties to pass legislation to streamline the regulatory process for wind and renewable energy projects and create a multi-state compact to consider offshore wind energy development.
He also supported unsuccessful legislation to dedicate revenues generated from offshore energy development to the Transportation Trust Fund to pay for needed infrastructure projects.
"The development of our offshore energy resources could help Virginia address a number of critical challenges that exist across the Commonwealth, including our desperate need for improved transportation infrastructure," concluded Lieutenant Governor Bolling.
###
For additional information contact Randy Marcus at 804-814-7117 (cell) or randy.marcus@ltgov.virginia.gov.
