Time to put down the summer reading for some summer writing! Now is the time to ratchet up our campaign against offshore drilling and in support of clean energy solutions that advance alternative energy production and greater energy efficiency, put America back to work with good jobs, put our economy back on the path to prosperity, end our dangerous dependence on fossil fuels, and fight global warming. And one of the best and easiest ways to do so, is by writing a short but sweet letter to the editor.

For instance, you can pick any one of our ten reasons why offshore drillng is wrong for Virginia and develop that further in your letter. The Sierra Club also offers these sample letters. Click here to read other great LTEs finding publication in either the Daily Press or Virginian-Pilot.

We need this very important issue front and center. Folks have got to learn that drilling off our coast may sound like a solution, but it only makes our problem worse. Your personal appeal in the form of an LTE really helps! Read the rest of this entry »

At 1:23 am this morning, Virginia’s State Senate voted 16-18 against Delegate Saxman’s Offshore Drilling Bill (HB6006). It was one of the last votes before they adjourned sine die at approximately 1:40am this morning.

The bill did, however, pass through the Virginia House of Delegates on a 56-39 vote early evening yesterday. Perhaps most stirring in the House floor debate were remarks from Virginia Beach’s own Delegate Joe Bouchard. Read his speech on the flip. Read the rest of this entry »

Virginia’s General Assembly again considers an offshore drilling bill (HB 6006) today, July 9, as it gathers again to discussion transportation, this time offered by Delegate Chris Saxman. A similar bill patroned by Senator Frank Wagner was defeated by the Democratically controlled State Senate. In the Republican-led House, however, this bill has already been reported out of committee and is headed to the House floor.

“Drilling off the Virginia coast is not a solution; it is much ado about nothing“, said Glen Besa, Virginia Chapter Director of the Sierra Club. “There is no quick fix to a problem that has been ignored this long. It would take at least 10 years before we’d see any of the little oil that is projected to be out there. And it does nothing to reduce our dependence on oil when the U.S. has only 3% to 4% of the world’s oil reserves and we use more than 20% of worldwide production. Continuing to rely on oil also ignores the reality of global warming and the problem of sea level rise along our Virginia coast.”

Read our entire press release below the fold. Read the rest of this entry »