Previously Stood In Way Of New Energy Jobs…

As Virginia voters headed to the polls yesterday, the Obama Administration once again acted to block thousands of good-paying new jobs by excluding the Commonwealth from its new five-year oil and gas leasing plan.  As the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports:

Offshore drilling has been pushed farther onto the horizon for Virginia. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the five-year oil and gas leasing plan for 2012-2017, and Virginia isn’t on the list.

Notably, in addition to criticism of the plan from members of both parties, President Obama’s hand-picked former DNC Chairman Tim Kaine also weighed in, saying in a press release that he was “disappointed” with his former boss’s decision… But Virginians will find that Kaine’s new politically-convenient posture simply doesn’t square with his previous efforts to scuttle offshore energy production in Virginia…

In 2006, Environment & Energy News reported that Kaine “rejected legislation that could have opened the state’s coast to offshore drilling,” while NBC Washington reported in 2009 that Kaine was “against” Republican requests for the Obama Administration to “include Virginia in its five-year plan for offshore oil-and-gas drilling.”

Kaine’s sudden change of stance begs the question: what – besides the fact that the former DNC Chairman is now running for U.S. Senate – has changed?

“Tim Kaine is mistaken if he thinks folks in Virginia can’t see through his shifty political posturing, and it’s clear he’ll need to offer a lot more than a flip-flopping press release to make up for his record of standing in the way of good-paying offshore energy jobs for Virginians,” said National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spokesman Chris Bond.

Former DNC Chairman Kaine Has Repeatedly Worked To Scuttle

Offshore Energy Production In Virginia:

2006: “Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine (D) Today Rejected Legislation That Could Have Opened The State’s Coast To Offshore Drilling But Indicated That He Would Support A Federal Survey Of Some Areas. The General Assembly last month approved a provision in a broader energy bill that allows the state to opt out of a federal moratorium on offshore drilling. Kaine returned the bill to the Legislature but stripped the opt-out provision. Instead, he inserted language saying the state would support a survey of offshore areas located more than 50 miles from the coast, as long as it was paid for with federal dollars.” (Alex Kaplun, “Offshore Drilling: Va. Governor Rejects Plan To Opt Out Of Moratorium,” E&E News PM, 4/7/06)

2009: “He [Cantor] Recently Asked The U.S. Department Of The Interior To Include Virginia In Its Five-Year Plan For Offshore Oil-And-Gas Drilling. Even Though Governor Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Is Against It.” (Asha Beh, “Cantor Fights Kaine Over Ruining Virginia’s Shores,” NBC Washington, www.nbcwashington.com, 9/30/09)

“An Area Must Be Included In The Plan In Order To Be Offered For Lease Sales To Energy Producers For Exploration Purposes. The draft program proposes 31 lease sales of outer continental shelf lands in areas off the coast of Alaska, the Pacific coast, Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic, including one off Virginia’s coast.” (Allison Brophy Champion, “Cantor: Drilling for oil off Va.’s coast would ‘power our economy,’” [Culpeper, VA] Star Exponent, 9/30/09)

“In February, Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine Asked The Department Of The Interior To Postpone The Proposed Lease Sale For Oil And Gas Exploration, Which Could Occur As Early As 2011.” (Allison Brophy Champion, “Cantor: Drilling For Oil Off Va.’s Coast Would ‘Power Our Economy,’” [Culpeper, VA] Star Exponent, 9/30/09)

“Kaine Argued That The State’s Offshore Energy Policies Do Not Support Exploration For Oil Or Production Of Gas Or Oil. Instead, he believes the state policies support federal efforts ‘to determine the extent of natural gas resources 50 miles or more off the Atlantic shoreline, including appropriate federal funding for such an investigation.’” (Allison Brophy Champion, “Cantor: Drilling For Oil Off Va.’s Coast Would ‘Power Our Economy,’” [Culpeper, VA] Star Exponent, 9/30/09)

“Kaine, Chairman Of The Democratic National Committee, Said He Supports Considering ‘The Atlantic Coast As A Whole, Rather Than Singling Out A Particular State For A Lease Sale.’” (Allison Brophy Champion, “Cantor: Drilling For Oil Off Va.’s Coast Would ‘Power Our Economy,’” [Culpeper, VA] Star Exponent, 9/30/09)