Gov. Bob McDonnell says he discussed offshore oil and gas exploration with Interior Secretary Ken Salazar during a visit by the Obama administration official to suburban Richmond.

McDonnell said he spoke "sort of informally" with Salazar on Wednesday, but the governor said he's banking on bipartisan support in Congress to get offshore drilling back on track in waters off Virginia.

A planned lease sale in 2012 was set back until at least 2017 because of the Gulf oil disaster.

In a separate interview, Salazar said seismic testing is planned in a triangular region of the Atlantic to assess how much oil and gas is there.

But Salazar also said Virginia's huge military presence along the coast is an issue. Norfolk is home to the world's largest naval base.