Northam asks for Virginia exemption from offshore oil drilling plan

Gov.-elect Ralph Northam wrote a letter Thursday to the U. S. Secretary of the Interior requesting that Virginia be excluded from the Trump Administration's plan to expand offshore oil drilling.

Northam in his letter to Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke mentioned growing up on Virginia's Eastern Shore.

“I grew up on Virginia’s Eastern Shore and can tell you firsthand that the Chesapeake Bay and the Commonwealth’s ocean and coastal resources are every bit as ecologically and economically valuable as those of Florida, a state that was recently exempted from the leasing plan,” he wrote, adding,  “I am encouraged by the decision to exempt Florida from the plan, and respectfully ask that the same exemption be made for the Commonwealth of Virginia.”

Northam's request came after Secretary Zinke announced Florida will be exempted from the plan.

Northam also asked that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management hold additional hearings on the Five Year Oil and Gas Leasing Program — including on the Eastern Shore and in Hampton Roads — in order to allow more Virginia residents to be heard before a public comment period ends March 9.

The bureau at present has scheduled only one public meeting, in Richmond, "nearly 100 miles from the coastal communities that would most feel its impacts," Northam wrote.

"On behalf of the Virginians I was elected to serve, I request the addition of sessions in Hampton Roads and on the Eastern Shore to allow those interested the ability to voice the concerns of their communities," he wrote.

Under the five-year plan, the federal government would begin selling leases in 2020 in the Mid-Atlantic, an area extending from Delaware Bay south to the North Carolina-South Carolina border. One sale would take place that year followed by one sale each in 2022 and 2024.

Drilling would be allowed as close as 3 miles offshore.

Northam in his letter mentioned potential adverse effects of offshore oil drilling on military operations, tourism and the seafood industry.

Almost half Hampton Roads' economy is related to the military and tourism supports more than 200,000 Virginia jobs and is the Commonwealth's fifth largest private employer, he noted.

"The leading seafood producer on the East Coast, the third largest producer in the country, and the national leader in hard clam aquaculture, Virginia depends on healthy and clean water that is only possible through responsible environmental stewardship," he wrote of concerns about the seafood industry.

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Northam also noted that less than two years ago, during a previous round of comments on offshore drilling, "the Department of Defense raised material objections to the incompatibility of drilling with naval operations off Virginia’s coast."

"Nothing should be done to jeopardize our strong position with the military in Virginia," he wrote.

Northam released a statement condemning the Trump administration’s plan earlier this month.

“Expanding offshore drilling unnecessarily jeopardizes our economy, environment, national security, and the health and safety of our residents. All it takes is one exploration gone wrong to do immeasurable harm to major economic drivers including tourism, fishing, aquaculture, and our military installations," the statement read in part.

“As governor, I’ll join other governors in opposing this decision and continue my record of fighting for state-driven conservation solutions,” he said.

Republican Congressman Scott Taylor, who represents Hamptons Roads and the Eastern Shore, also this week said he is opposed to drilling off the Virginia coast, according to a Washington Post article published Jan. 8.

Taylor noted opposition to the plan within his district, according to the article.

Northam's letter was welcomed by Virginia Eastern Shorekeeper Jay Ford.

“Virginia Eastern Shorekeeper applauds Governor-elect Northam for requesting that Virginia be removed from the 5-year offshore drilling plan. Growing up on the Shore, Northam knows firsthand how critical our waters are to our economy and quality of life," said Ford.

Ford also thanked Northam for calling for public hearings in the coastal regions of Virginia that would be most impacted by offshore drilling.

"BOEM needs to hear from the businesses and citizens who will shoulder the risk, should the administration’s plan move forward," he said.

"Governor-elect Northam has been a leader in the effort to protect our coasts since first elected to the State Senate in 2007," Ford said, adding, "His unwavering commitment to our military and NASA operations, our seafood industry, our tourism, and our environment has helped protect Virginia coasts and citizens for the past decade. Today he has made clear that as our governor, he will continue to lead the effort to keep Virginia’s coasts clean for generations to come.”

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