Mitt Romney pledged that he’d aggressively pursue mid-Atlantic offshore oil drilling if elected president. Even though he wasn’t, that’s not stopping Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell from following through with Romney’s plan.
McDonnell has repeatedly refused to accept a renewable energy standard for his state, and now he’s joined a coalition of seven states insisting that Obama lift bans on offshore drilling.
Ignoring reliable research that clean energy creates more jobs, McDonnell claims his stand is about boosting the economy. He also seems to completely disregard growing evidence that a combination of renewables can meet all U.S. energy needs cost-effectively by 2030.
McDonnell’s efforts to expand development of fossil fuels ignores facts on climate change as well as risks of offshore drilling. Virginians want windmills, not oil spills -- and it's time McDonnell paid attention to that.
Tell Gov. McDonnell to stop the push for offshore drilling.
We, the undersigned, believe Governor McDonnell’s energy policies are taking Virginia in a direction opposite of where it needs to go.
After the governor’s release of his energy initiative in January, Sierra Club responded as follows:
The "all of the above" approach to energy policy touted by Governor McDonnell fails to acknowledge the hard reality of a changing climate and the vulnerability of Virginia to its impacts from hurricanes and droughts to sea level rise. The economic vitality of the Hampton Roads region is second only to New Orleans in vulnerability to sea level rise.
hesapeake Climate Action Network points out that drilling off Virginia’s coast would not only endanger fishing and tourism, but a spill the size of the Gulf Coast disaster “could reach as far south as Cape May and… into the Potomac and Chesapeake Bay.”
Taking the risks associated with offshore drilling and expansion of fossil fuel development are even more unacceptable now that research on renewables reveals that that fossil fuel expansion is no longer necessary, and renewable energy development creates more jobs. If Governor McDonnell will put his energy behind moving the state in the direction of renewable energy, there will be no need for offshore drilling.
We agree that Virginia, along with the rest of the country, needs windmills - not oil spills. We ask Governor McDonnell to please stop this push for offshore drilling and focus instead on renewable energy development.
Thanks for your time.
