FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact: Ian Gallagher
February 22, 2010 (804) 698-1034
[email protected]
Statement of Delegate Comstock on
General Assembly Passage of Offshore Royalties Bill
-Key Piece of “Jobs and Opportunity” Agenda
Passes House and Senate with Bipartisan Support-
Positions Commonwealth to Move Forward in
Becoming First State on East Coast to Produce Energy Offshore;
Part of Governor’s Comprehensive Energy Plan
for Commonwealth
RICHMOND – Delegate
Barbara Comstock issued the following statement this afternoon following Senate
passage of HB 756, the offshore royalties bill:
“A
bipartisan majority in the Senate passed HB 756, a measure to allocate 80% of
future offshore royalties and revenues to transportation and the remaining 20%
to the Virginia Coastal Energy Research Consortium, which researches and
develops renewable energy solutions. This bill is a critical component of
both energy independence and providing for a dedicated revenue stream for much
needed transportation funds for Northern Virginia. My bill on offshore
drilling royalties (HB 900) was rolled into HB 756 which passed the House by
71-26 and today passed the Senate on a vote of 21-19.
“The
passage of HB 756 follows Governor McDonnell’s meeting last week with United
States Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar where McDonnell expressed his
strong support for wind energy production as well as keeping the offshore lease
sale on schedule for 2011. In addition,
last week, Delegate Stolle and I sent a letter to Secretary Salazar that was
signed by 51 of our colleagues urging the Secretary to move forward on allowing
Virginia to begin environmentally-responsible offshore energy exploration and
development. Both Republicans and Democrats who voted for this common sense
measure understand that the Commonwealth can become the “Energy Capital of the
East Coast”. This bill also establishes that when offshore energy
revenues arrive, the Commonwealth will immediately direct them to two pressing
areas: transportation and renewable energy research and development.
“There
is bipartisan consensus on this issue. Offshore energy development has the
support of the new McDonnell Administration, the Democratic State Senate, the
Republican House of Delegates, United States Senators Mark Warner (D) and Jim
Webb (D), and a majority of our congressional delegation.
“As we
move forward with these efforts, we will be able to create thousands of new
jobs for our citizens, produce hundreds of millions in new state revenue, and
spur billions in investment in Virginia. We can take the lead in moving
our nation closer towards energy independence, while simultaneously creating
new good-paying jobs for our citizens.”
To see the bill
please visit: http://leg1.state.va.us/cgibin/legp504.exe?101+cab+SC10210HB0756+HB1REF