Bob McDonnell, Republican gubernatorial candidate and former Attorney General of Virginia, asked the three Democratic candidates for governor Thursday to join him in requesting that Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar reject Gov. Tim Kaine's recent errant request to further delay the sale of a lease for exploration and development of energy resources off the Virginia coast.

Last year the 25-year-old federal moratorium on energy exploration and development off the coast of Virginia was allowed to expire by the U.S. Congress and the Presidential ban was also lifted. The leasing of exploration and development rights off the Virginia coast is scheduled for 2011, giving Virginia an extremely valuable advantage over other states along the Eastern Seaboard as the first state to explore and drill.

However, McDonnell says the delay advocated by Kaine would eliminate Virginia's ability to start early, and place the Commonwealth into the same five-year program underway for other Atlantic states. This inexplicable obstruction of Virginia's advance towards energy independence and economic development cannot be permitted.

McDonnell says the development of Virginia's offshore energy reserves would mean thousands of new jobs and hundreds of millions in tax revenue.

A recent study on the issue, produced in 2005 by a professor at Old Dominion University, estimated that offshore natural gas production off of the Virginia coast would, over a ten-year period, likely create 2,578 new jobs, induce capital investment of $7.84 billion, yield $644 million in direct and indirect payroll, and result in $271 million in state and local taxes. The numbers were based on a conservative projection of the possible cubic feet of natural gas existing in the targeted area offshore.

Three years ago, the Virginia General Assembly approved legislation to allow for natural gas exploration off of Virginia's coast. Due to this proactive move Virginia was included in a five-year-plan announced by the Interior Department in 2007 to allow for oil and gas drilling in federal waters off the coast of Virginia. Oil and gas exploration and drilling must be done in tandem under federal regulations.

This head start, which Kaine's request for delay would eliminate, provides Virginia with the ability to be the national leader in offshore energy exploration off the Eastern Seaboard. New industry will move to Virginia if we act now, bringing much needed jobs to the Commonwealth.

McDonnell says Kaine's letter notes that Virginia law only currently allows for offshore natural gas exploration.

Speaking about this argument McDonnell states, "A governor committed to offshore energy exploration and development could work with the General Assembly to immediately broaden Virginia's law to allow that to occur. As Governor of Virginia I will support legislation that will open Virginia's offshore waters, starting at 50 miles off the coast, to environmentally safe exploration and drilling for oil and gas. Too many jobs and too much revenue are at stake to do otherwise. There is no reason to surrender Virginia's competitive advantage when this change could easily be achieved next session of the General Assembly. This needed legislative fix is no reason to delay the leasing process scheduled for 2011 for another four years.

"I urge the Democratic candidates for Governor to put aside their pandering to special interests and do what's right for Virginia families. Democrats need to stop saying no to new jobs and revenue for Virginia. Offshore production of natural gas and oil is not the entire solution to our economic and energy challenges, but it is part of the solution and we need to stop with the delays and start making progress. Along with nuclear, solar, renewable and other sources offshore production helps us move toward energy independence and create jobs to get our economy moving again."