John Drake: “I rise in support of the Beach Protection Act. And as the Member who represents the entire Atlantic Coast in Virginia…”

“I rise in support of the Beach Protection Act. And as the Member who represents the entire Atlantic Coast in Virginia and much of the Chesapeake Bay, I recognize that our beaches are a treasure and must remain clean and safe. But we must lift the Federal moratorium on deep sea drilling of natural gas in the Outer Continental Shelf. America has acted to make our energy consumption cleaner, and today we use much more natural gas for the generation of electricity. We have increased demand without increasing supply. The U.S. is the only developed nation that does not capture natural gas from the Outer Continental Shelf. Canada has done it for years. We all know what Cuba's getting ready to do. It's American families and American businesses that pay this extra cost, and it is driving American businesses overseas simply because of the cost of energy in America. Coastal States should be able to decide if this activity takes place, and we should share in those royalties. In Virginia, we could use those dollars for transportation. America expects our policies to meet our energy needs.”