Despite the administration's decision to ban offshore drilling in the Atlantic for at least seven years, many Virginia residents continue to look forward to the time when their portion of the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) can produce energy as well as bring jobs and revenues to the Commonwealth.

There's no doubt that the economic benefits of offshore development would be welcomed throughout the Commonwealth, including in the seaside community of Norfolk.

A study by ICF International estimates that development in federal waters offshore Virginia could produce more than a half-billion barrels of oil and more than 2.5 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. That much natural gas could heat the equivalent of Virginia's 3.2 million households for more than 11 years. A half-billion barrels of oil i... more »

Interest is rising in a relatively new natural gas discovery called the Utica Shale. It lies beneath the Marcellus Shale and stretches from Canada's Quebec Province through Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio, western Virginia and into West Virginia.

Reuters reports that a few companies have drilled successful test wells that have yielded promising quantities of natural gas. Range Resources Corp. says it will release more details of its test results in coming months. "Even though it's still very early," Matt Pitzarella, a spokesman for Range, told Reuters, "the prospects are very good."

Although the Utica and other shale formations are not expected to contain as much natural gas as the Marcellus formation, Pennsylvania State geologist Terry Engelder says they are attractive to drillers because of... more »

API is closed today due to the weather. The heavy snowfall has made travel - including commuting - to and from the nation's capital extremely difficult and even dangerous. Today, I'm working from a remote location where I have heat, electricity and connectivity, making me much more fortunate than many of my colleagues who live in areas with downed trees and power lines.

On the Internet today, I had the opportunity to read an interesting article in the Los Angeles Times, which describes some of the issues surrounding Virginia's desire to explore for oil and natural gas 50 miles off its coastline.

As the article explains, there is bipartisan support for exploration and production, but several organizations, including NASA and the Navy, are wondering whether their operations can coexist with... more »

There's a lot to like about the planned Virginia offshore lease sale. It's believed the leasing area could contain 130 million barrels of oil and 1.14 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.

If energy companies are allowed to develop this offshore energy, they could create about 2,600 jobs, make about $8 billion in capital investments and generate $271 million in Virginia state and local taxes, providing a huge boost to the Commonwealth's economy.

With economic benefits of that magnitude hanging in the balance, news reports stating that the Interior Department would delay the lease sale triggered strong responses from Virginia's officials yesterday. Gov. Bob McDonnell said his office hadn't been informed of the delay, adding, "Any delay beyond 2011, I would strongly oppose."

Gov. McDonnell, wh... more »

Breaking from his predecessor, Virginia's Governor-elect Bob McDonnell sent a letter to Interior Secretary Salazar, asking the administration to move forward with a scheduled offshore lease sale in 2011. McDonnell says "offshore energy exploration and production will be a priority" during his four-year term as governor. The Commonwealth's current Gov. Tim Kaine sought to delay the lease sale.

As McDonnell states in his letter, he is aware of "several major energy companies that are ready to bid for the leasehold rights," and he says offshore oil and natural gas development could reap big dividends for the citizens of Virginia:

"A 2005 study by a former president at Old Dominion University forecast that offshore natural gas production alone off of the Atlantic coast near Virginia would, ove... more »