Gilmore talks energy during Hill City stop

U.S. Senate candidate Jim Gilmore highlighted his answer to the nation’s rising energy costs Monday during a campaign stop in Lynchburg.

“We’ve got to drill for oil, we’ve got to do clean coal and we’ve got to do nuclear,” said the former governor, who’s vying to replace retiring Sen. John Warner. “Renewable energy plays a part in it, but to be energy independent, we need more oil. You just can’t deprive the people of the United States of these resources.”

Gilmore, a Republican, was in town visiting Delta Star Inc., a local manufacturer that produces equipment for hundreds of electrical companies and government power systems. Its products include transformers and mobile substations.

The candidate was given a tour of the company’s plant on Mayflower Drive, an occasion he used to showcase his energy platform and separate himself from opponent Mark Warner, a Democrat.

Gilmore advocates drilling offshore and in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) in Alaska. Warner has offered support for exploring offshore reserves of natural gas but not oil, and has said drilling itself is only a temporary solution to the country’s needs.

Warner spokesman Kevin Hall said Monday, “The concept that drilling everywhere will lower the price of gas is simply not true, and Mr. Gilmore knows that.”

“Any benefit is at least 10 years off, and even then it will have a negligible impact on what we’re paying at the pump now. … Mr. Gilmore is peddling a 20th century solution to a 21st century problem,” he said.

Warner released an energy plan last week that called for measures such as increased investment in the development of renewable energy. Short-term solutions included preventing price gouging and pursuing gas-saving measures such as telecommuting to work.

Gilmore — who’s adopted a motto of “Drill here. Drill now. Pay less.” — said more domestic oil drilling is the decisive change the country needs to break free of the “same old policies of the 1970s.”

“We can do (things like renewable energy) and that’s fine, but there’s no substitute for deciding to act right now and do domestic oil exploration in ANWR and offshore,” he said. “Mark Warner will not do these things, and I will.”

Concerns of negative environmental impacts represent “old thinking” that doesn’t reflect the ability of modern technology, he added, pointing out the Gulf Coast came through Hurricane Katrina without an oil spill.

Meanwhile, drilling in places such as ANWR can produce billions of barrels of oil, he said.