Statement of Glen Besa, Director, Sierra Club Virginia Chapter, in response to announcement that Senators Webb and Warner will introduce legislation to authorize drilling off the coast of Virginia
Senators Warner, Webb, and Governor McDonnell are politicians doing what politicians too often do; offering answers they think people want to hear instead of real solutions.
We really need Senators Warner, Webb, and Governor McDonnell to provide leadership in supporting an energy policy that invests in efficiency, renewable energy and clean energy jobs.
Drilling off our coast will not reduce the price of gas and will only prolong our dependency on foreign oil. Our country currently uses 25% of the world’s oil and only has 3% of the world’s reserves so we can not drill our way out of this problem. With growing demand for oil from China and India, we need to start investing in alternatives immediately.
Finally, despite high gas prices we have not seen the clamoring for drilling from the public because people have a longer memory than politicians. People still remember the disaster in the gulf coast just last year and do not want to see a similar tragedy visited upon Virginia Beach.
Ditto.
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