Thelma Drake's anti-military oil drilling plan

By: Rob
Published On: 5/2/2006 12:00:00 PM

Rep. Thelma Drake supports oil drilling off the Virginia coasts. In fact, she supports oil drilling off the coast of her own district - the Tidewater area.

I've chronicled before why oil drilling is a bad idea for Virginia's water-based economy:

Between tourism, fishing, agriculture, and shipping, our waters and shores are a critical part of the Virginian ecomony.  Clean beaches, healthy seafood, unencumbered farms and ports - is it smart to risk all this for a non-renewable resource like oil?

Add the military to that list:

The military wants oil and gas drillers to stay out of waters off the Virginia coast, where it says energy exploration would interfere with weapons tests and the training of thousands of service members each year.

The Pentagon told a key regulatory agency this month that a proposal to open the area to drilling also could endanger oil company employees and equipment.

"The Navy requires unencumbered access to the full expanse" of this area, and other service branches also use it extensively, Donald Schregardus, the service's deputy assistant secretary for environment. . . .

Amazingly, Thelma Drake is on the House Armed Services Committee.  But, she is also a captive of Big Oil donations.  Her divided loyalties didn't stop her from selling out her district's coastline to Exxon-Mobil, but shouldn't a member of the Armed Services Committee at least check with the Pentagon before pushing for oil drilling in the path of the Navy' aircraft carriers?


"I'm disappointed that our representatives in Congress, like [Republican 2nd District Rep.] Thelma Drake and [Republican Virginia Sen.] John Warner, who sit on armed services committees, were quick to help the oil and gas industries drill, before even checking with our military," said Mike Town, director of the Sierra Club's Virginia chapter.  "That's appalling."

Appalling, but not surprising.

Comments



Wow, Warner also signed off on it? (Craig - 5/2/2006 1:43:24 PM)
Uncharacteristic sloppiness, not to mention lukewarmness to military requests, from VA's senior Senator.  I would have expected Old Man Warner to side with the military on this without hesitation.

Drake, well, she's an idiot anyhow.



Old Man Warner seems to be losing his touch (DanG - 5/2/2006 3:11:38 PM)
That's why I'm so big on Jim Webb.  We need somebody ready to take care of the military in VA once Warner realizes it's time to retire.

Thelma is a putz.  She only got elected by riding Bush's popularity in the Second District.  Jim Webb will make sure it'll be different this year.  He and Phil Kellam will both clean up.  I don't have to repeat how well I think these guys compliment each other.  Harris Miller will probably do more damage than good down there.  Trust me, I know.  I live there.  Been paying attention to politics down there since I was two feet high.  The Indies and Moderate Repubs in the 2nd will feel threatened by what Allen will call "A rich, northern virginia liberal."  With Webb, this will be easy to disprove.  Not so much with Miller.

You want to get rid of Thelma?  Vote for Jim Webb in June.  Then, Webb and Kellam will destroy both Allen and Thelma.  A vote for Harris Miller isn't just a vote for George Allen, it's a vote for Thelma Drake.