Energy Watch: Feds open comment period on oil drilling off Va. coast; NASA among those opposed

The federal government took the first step this week toward expanding oil and gas drilling off the Virginia coast, with the Interior Department opening a 45-day public comment period on the plan's environmental impact. The targeted area lies about 50 miles east from the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay.

Interior is already hearing concerns about the plan from environmentalists, other states -- and even other federal agencies.

NASA, for example, is warning that offshore ocean drilling platforms would interfere with operations at its Wallops Flight Facility on the Eastern Shore, DelmarvaNow.com reports:

"It just makes it more difficult to fly," said Keith Koehler, the facility's public affairs specialist. "For safety reasons, we don't want to be flying rockets anywhere near these things."

When NASA launches rockets from Wallops, the used motors fall into the Atlantic, so steps would have to be taken to keep them from dropping on drilling rigs. There are also concerns that drilling would interfere with Accomack County's plans to develop a space-related research park near the NASA facility.

Environmentalists are raising other objections to the proposal. Michael Gravitz of Environment America warns that an oil spill in the targeted area could hurt affect Assateague Island and its wild horses, the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, and coastal resort communities including Virginia Beach.

"Instead of keeping America hooked on oil, our president should be helping the country cut our oil consumption in half -- and create millions of new jobs doing it," says Gravitz.

Officials from the state next door have also expressed concerns, with North Carolina Senate President Marc Basnight and Gov. Mike Easley calling for a review of the proposal to understand its impact on the North Carolina coast, where tourism is a major industry. Easley has previously said he wants the state and not private oil companies to hold any leases off his coast.

The sale of the Virginia territory at issue -- known as Lease Sale 220 -- is set for 2011. The parcel was originally included in the Bush administration's 2007-2012 Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program, but its leasing was prohibited by presidential and congressional bans. President Bush lifted his ban in July, while Congress allowed its ban to expire in September.

In 2006, the Virginia legislature passed a bill welcoming exploration -- but only for natural gas, not for oil. That's also been the stance of Democratic Gov. Tim Kaine. Like President-Elect Barack Obama, Kaine has said the government should require oil companies to drill first in the nearly 70 million acres they already lease before opening new areas.

For more details on the Virginia drilling proposal and how to comment, see the federal register notice online here.

(Map of area targeted for drilling from the U.S. Department of the Interior)