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Virginia Governor: No to Offshore Drilling Review

Offshore Drilling
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Offshore Drilling

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Virginia's governor says he doesn't want his state included in a new review of an oil and gas leasing program on the outer continental shelf.

Democrat Terry McAuliffe on Thursday released a letter he sent last week to the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. The agency is conducting a review of the National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program. The shelf includes areas off the coast of Virginia.

McAuliffe says the issue of revenue-sharing has not been resolved. The governor also says that President Donald Trump's administration is "actively working" to reduce funding from agencies that would protect Virginia's coast.

In May, the Trump administration announced that it is moving forward with efforts toward allowing offshore drilling in the mid- and south-Atlantic regions.

Don Rush is the News Director and Senior Producer of News and Public Affairs at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.