Columbia Gas of Virginia Applauds Opening Virginia Coastline to Natural Gas Drilling
3/31/2010 1:39:31 PM
March 31, 2010
Contact: Bob Innes
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Columbia Gas of Virginia Applauds Opening Virginia Coastline to Natural Gas Drilling
Columbia Gas of Virginia (Columbia) applauds the Obama administration’s decision to move forward with opening a portion of Virginia’s coastline for drilling of natural gas.
“We view today’s announcement as a positive step toward ensuring that adequate and affordable supplies of domestic natural gas continue to be available to meet the energy needs of Virginia’s homes and businesses,” said Carl Levander, president, Columbia Gas of Virginia. “We believe that offshore drilling can be done in an environmentally responsible manner, respecting the need to protect our natural resources, and that it also enhances the environmental benefits resulting from the continued efficient use of natural gas, the cleanest fossil fuel available.”
Levander also recognized the important leadership and contributions of numerous state and federal officials working on behalf of Virginia in support of natural gas drilling off of Virginia’s coastline, which will provide the potential opportunity for new jobs and revenue for the Commonwealth.
By using the latest technologies available for finding natural gas, some estimates project that the offshore Virginia area being opened to drilling contains up to 2.5 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, which would be enough natural gas to heat all 3.2 million Virginia households for more than 11 years.
The natural gas industry has a long history of successfully developing both offshore and onshore domestic supplies while respecting the environment. For more than a century the natural gas industry has provided efficient, environmentally-friendly and reliable energy that fuels the needs of businesses, industry and homeowners in Virginia and across the United States.