Keeping in mind that President Barack Obama still hates oil companies (he’s still calling to “end subsidies” to oil companies – a bold-faced lie, but that’s a topic for tomorrow), he did a good thing for domestic oil production this weekend.
In his weekly radio address, the president said:
I believe that we should expand oil production in America – even as we increase safety and environmental standards.
To do this, I am directing the Department of Interior to conduct annual lease sales in Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve, while respecting sensitive areas, and to speed up the evaluation of oil and gas resources in the mid and south Atlantic. We plan to lease new areas in the Gulf of Mexico as well, and work to create new incentives for industry to develop their unused leases both on and offshore.
Increasing domestic oil production makes sense. And kudos to the president for taking this step.
But let’s look at who gets the best of this deal: Alaska and Gulf states. Virginia gets a sped-up evaluation?
If you look at who have been the loudest advocates in the energy discussion, it has been Sens. Mary Landrieu (D-Louisiana) (who thinks the attack on oil companies over “subsidies” is laughable) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska).
“I’ve been strongly critical of this administration’s policies on domestic production, but today I want to give credit to the president,” Murkowski said in a statement
And give credit she should.
But is it any wonder that Louisiana and Alaska get the nod when their senators have been fighting the administration for it?
Here in Virginia, Gov. Bob McDonnell, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, and the seven other Republican congressman have been clamoring about domestic oil production off the coast.
Last week, the governor penned a letter requesting lease sales move forward and the House of Representatives passed three bills meant to increase oil supply: The Restarting American Offshore Leasing Now Act; the Putting the Gulf Back to Work Act; and the Reversing President Obama’s Offshore Moratorium Act – all part of the American Energy Initiative.
But was Virginia united in doing so?
Of course not. All those bills were opposed by Democrats Gerry Connolly, Bobby Scott, and Jim Moran.
And, notably silent on this topic have been Sens. Jm Webb and Mark Warner.
Warner, who campaigned on exploring for oil and natural gas off the Atlantic coast, is busy trying to be a power-broker on the national debt and the only thing Webb is “fighting” for is a battlefield.
Both senators, pre-BP spill, advocated for Virginia to be part of the energy discussion. Yet, last week, when the discussion was at the forefront, we’ve heard nothing but silence on the topic from our senators.
Is it any wonder then that Virginia was left out of this equation?
