On July 31, 2006, George Allen supported a bill that opened portions of the Gulf of Mexico for energy leasing and introduced an amendment empowering Virginia to pursue deepwater exploration for oil and natural gas off its coastline as well. Under Allen’s amendment, Virginia would have shared 37.5 percent of revenues from lease sales and production royalties, as do the Gulf Coast States under the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006.
“We have to move forward with a comprehensive 21st century energy independence policy focused on energy production, innovation, and diversity. When we do that, we will see lower gas prices for American consumers. We will see more jobs for American workers and a stronger, more competitive and safer America in the world,” stated Allen in a speech on the Senate floor. He explained that his amendment “gives the people a choice – and I sincerely believe that the people of our State will choose to allow deep-water exploration, once they are armed with the facts and understand the opportunities, not only for the future of Virginia, but of America.”
According to an estimate by the U.S. Department of Interior, Virginia’s Outer Continental Shelf has over 130 million barrels of recoverable oil and 1.14 trillion cubic feet of recoverable natural gas. With gasoline prices near $4 a gallon this spring, George Allen continues to advocate common-sense energy solutions, including the Virginia Outer Continental Shelf Energy Production Act of 2011. This bill would restore lease sales off Virginia’s coast that were cancelled by the Obama Administration. Allowing safe energy exploration and production off the coast of the Commonwealth would not only help increase America’s energy security, but also create thousands of jobs and generate millions in new revenue that could be used to improve roads and transportation infrastructure for future generations.
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