Virginia Tomorrow

A headline this morning in the Lynchburg News and Advance noted that Senator Steve Newman agrees with Governor Kaine’s energy proposals.

Ray Reed’s actual story, however, paints a far more nuanced and complicated picture, one that shows a emerging divsion between the GOP and leading Democrats over coastal drilling that is likely, at least in my mind, to overshadow any area of agreement on using some state lands to generate electricity from wind turbines. 

Reed’s story accurately notes that Newman’s part  of the GOP response to Governor Kaine’s State of the Commonwealth address applauded the Governor’s decision to set aside some state lands to generate electricity in alternative ways. Reed goes on to note that the “Republicans also support drilling for natural gas offshore and using the resulting royalties for transportation projects. ” Speaking about legislation in support of offshore natural gas drilling introduced by Senator Frank Wagner of Virginia Beach, Newman said that it “could represent billions for infrastructure needs.”

I think Reed’s story tells us more about an emerging debate than it does about an area of common agreement.

For the past few days, I have been outlining Democratic positions on the issue of offshore drilling and how these differ from Bob McDonnell’s, the GOP gubernatorial candidate.

I noted yesterday that Brian Moran has come out against all offshore drilling in Virginia for oil and natural gas. He asserts that the issue is essentially a diversion that would not accrue benefits for years while deflecting attention from the real task of building a renewable energy economy.

Governor Kaine and Terrry McAuliffe support “exploration” of natural gas reserves offshore, but have not committed themselves to supporting any drilling whatsoever.

But Bob McDonnell supports it.

Frank Wagner is a knowledgeable and articulate advocate of offshore drilling for natural gas and his proposed legislation is likely to establish the terms of the debate.

Politically, here is how I see it.

Republicans in Virginia watched the national debate on the issue this summer and saw how  the GOP’s ”drill now” position succeeded in putting the Democrats’ in Congress on the defensive . Worried that citizens would view the party as indifferent to public outrage at the price of gas, the Democrats were forced to beat a tactical retreat and eventually support a measure of offshore drilling in order to take the issue off the table for the November elections.

The GOP is hoping a similar scenario will play out inVirginia- that they can portray the positions of Moran and other Democratic leaders as out of touch with the economic needs of the state and the energy needs of our citizens.

I am not at all certain about the outcome here. Nor do I know whether public opinion on the matter has solidified or varies according to the recent price of gas.

This much I do know.

The debates over energy policy and green politics are beginning to take center stage in the Commonwealth.