Environment Virginia Applauds
Emphasis on Clean, Renewable Energy
Washington, DC - At a news conference today, Department of Interior
Secretary Ken Salazar announced that the department will extend the public
comment period on the draft five year plan for oil and gas development that the
Bush administration put in place in its last days in office. This is a decision supported by
legislators and environmentalists alike.
Virginia Congressman Gerry Connolly states, "It
is particularly imprudent to expose the state to possible economic and
environmental risks when the volume of oil and gas under the OCS appears too
miniscule.” Connolly says he and other representatives of districts bordering
the Chesapeake Bay or tributaries "are concerned about the potential
negative impact of drilling on our districts’ economies and ecological
resources."
Environment Virginia Advocate J.R. Tolbert issued the
following statement in response:
“We applaud the Interior Department for taking a fresh
look a President Bush’s ‘drill everywhere’ policies. First, last week, Secretary Salazar prudently restored
protection for 130,000 acres of pristine lands near Nine Mile Canyon, Arches
National Park and Dinosaur National Monument in Utah that had been leased for
drilling by the previous administration.
Today, we are pleased to see that Secretary Salazar is slowing the Bush
administration’s plan to barrel ahead with oil drilling off our coast. The fact
is: More efficient vehicles, mass transit, and clean energy will cut pollution
and reduce dependence on oil far more effectively than more oil drilling will.
“Secretary Salazar and President Obama understand that
we must break our addiction to oil by increasing efficiency and shifting to
clean alternatives and, from the first days of this administration, have
pursued exactly those policies. Two weeks ago, the president announced plans to
raise the fuel economy of our cars.
His economic recovery plan creates jobs by improving mass transit, which
produces one-third of the pollution of automobile travel while creating 19
percent more jobs per dollar than spending on new highways. These cheaper, cleaner and faster
policies reduce short-term oil demand and costs while also providing long-term
solutions to our energy needs.
President Obama’s clean energy solutions do not require us to put our
favorite beaches at risk.
“Even the Energy Information Agency under President
Bush acknowledged that drilling for every last drop of recoverable oil off our
coasts would have little to no effect on gas prices. Environment Virginia is confident that, with careful
consideration, the Obama administration will conclude that drilling offshore is
not worth the risk. We urge
president Obama to permanently protect our treasured seashores and marine
resources by reinstating the off-shore oil drilling moratorium.”
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Environment America is a federation of state-based,
citizen funded environmental groups working for clean air, clean water and open
space. www.environmentamerica.org
