Taking a break from all-health care, all the time, House Republican Whip Eric Cantor (VA), sat down yesterday with Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar to discuss Virginia’s offshore energy exploration and request that the Commonwealth remain included in the Minerals Management Service (MMS) Draft Proposed 5-Year Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Leasing Program for 2010-2015 (DPP).
Cantor stressed to Salazar that Virginia would like to move forward with the leasing plan (Lease Sale 220) in order to permit exploration to begin as early as 2011. Salazar’s Department of Interior has yet to take action.
“During the last comment period conducted by MMS, nearly 8 in 10 Virginians expressed support for some form of offshore exploration. Offshore energy exploration has the potential to provide thousands of jobs and millions of dollars in revenue for Virginia and is supported by the people of the Commonwealth, our Governor, and our legislature. I appreciated the opportunity to speak directly with the Secretary to encourage him to move forward so that Virginia can responsibly develop and produce domestic energy off our shores,” Cantor said.
