Today, the Federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management announced that Virginia’s coast would not be opened to leases for offshore oil and gas drilling under its 2017-2022 plan. In response to this action, Michael Town, executive director of Virginia LCV, offers the following statement:
“Virginia’s coastal localities and its tourism industry joined conservation partners up and down the eastern seaboard to voice strong opposition to drilling off of our coast, and it appears the Obama administration listened. At the end of the day, it was clear that oil and gas drilling presented very real risks to our thriving tourism economy, aquaculture and pristine and fragile environment. With offshore fossil fuels off the table, Virginia should now seize the opportunity to create the jobs of tomorrow in clean, offshore wind energy.”