Va. Republicans push McCain energy plan

WASHINGTON-With gas prices hovering above $4 per gallon across the state, three Virginia House Republicans Thursday repeated calls for Congress to lift the ban on oil drilling off Virginia’s coast.

“Deepwater energy exploration is a winner because it is what’s on people’s mind,“ Rep. Eric Cantor, R-7th, said at a GOP news conference promoted by the McCain campaign.

Reps. Thelma Drake, R-2nd, and Rob Wittman, R-1st, stood with Cantor at the national Republican Party headquarters, extolling the benefits drilling would have for Virginia - earning the state cash royalties and creating new jobs.

But President Bush, who has lifted an executive order prohibiting off-shore drilling and called on Congress to do the same, has acknowledged the negligible impact it would have on current gas prices.

Off-shore drilling “would not have a significant impact on domestic crude oil and natural gas production or prices before 2030,“ according to a Department of Energy report.

That’s one reason Barack Obama has argued against lifting the ban. Obama has said expanding drilling for fossil fuels does little to help create a longer term U.S. energy strategy.

“This is a problem that has been 30 years in the making and John McCain has been in Washington 26 years,“ Obama spokesman Kevin Griffis said.

Republicans still plan to use the off-shore drilling issue as campaign fodder. Drake said Republicans support “an all-of-the-above solution” to America’s energy problem - including using tax credits to spur investment in wind, solar, nuclear energy and conservation.

“Enough is enough. Congress must stop standing between the American people and the resources that belong to them,“ Drake said.

The Republicans appeared to differ on how Virginia could invest royalties it could receive from selling natural resources buried under its outer continental shelf. Drake mentioned the money could go to transportation. Cantor emphasized a plan to spend royalty money on cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay.