Strategic Production Response Act

Floor Speech

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Ms. SPANBERGER. 29.

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Ms. SPANBERGER. Mr. Chair, as a proud Virginian, I rise today in defense of our region's coastal communities, our Nation's military and defense equities, the Chesapeake Bay, and the economy of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

I am concerned that the legislation under consideration today would open the door to drilling of oil and gas off the shores of Virginia, something that has never been done before and something staunchly opposed by Virginians.

Offshore oil and gas drilling poses a grave threat to our economy, our natural resources, and America's military infrastructure along Virginia's coast.

Virginia's economy relies heavily on deepwater port commerce, and offshore drilling operations would severely impact these industries.

According to one report, offshore drilling could jeopardize approximately 86,000 Virginia jobs, as well as roughly $4.8 billion in Virginia's GDP from coastal tourism, commercial fishing, and aquaculture alone.

According to NOAA, in 2016, Virginia's commercial seafood industry collected more than 440 million pounds of seafood with a value of close to $300 million.

This driver of Virginia's economy could be threatened under the overarching legislation considered here today.

I also point out that Virginia's Wallops Island could come under threat. Wallops Island is home to space infrastructure that enables NASA missions, but offshore drilling could undermine decades of Federal, State, and local economic development efforts related to our space program.

Virginia's spaceport has bolstered the local economy to the tune of $820 million annually, and it has provided thousands of jobs in our Commonwealth.

Back in 2015, NASA raised the alarm bells about offshore drilling, releasing a statement that read, ``The presence of either temporary or fixed structures at or below the sea surface . . . would have significant detrimental effects on our ability to conduct aerospace test activities.''

Offshore drilling in Virginia has been shown to be a critical national security risk. According to a study published by the United States Department of Defense, any oil and gas leases off the coast of Virginia would disrupt military operations, training, and testing activities considered to be vital to our United States' national security and readiness.

Finally, I am deeply concerned about the environmental impacts that offshore drilling could have in Virginia. As the largest estuary in the United States, the Chesapeake Bay has been recognized by Congress as a ``national treasure'' and has been under federally funded cleanup efforts since 1965.

The Chesapeake Bay is home to more than 3,600 species of plant, fish, and animals--several dozen recognized as threatened or endangered.

Over the last several decades, we have made tremendous progress in the restoration of the Chesapeake Bay. Virginians do not want to risk a disaster like the Deepwater Horizon spill.

What is more, I am concerned about more regular releases of crude oil that occur in offshore operations. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation reports that spills from platforms, pipelines, and other offshore infrastructure release, on average, 157,000 barrels of oil annually.

These releases would destroy many of the environmental gains that have helped revitalize Virginia's economy, Virginia's coastal communities, and the health of the Chesapeake Bay.

I urge my colleagues, from those in Virginia to those across the country, to vote to protect Virginia's fishermen, farmers, coastal towns, beaches, natural beauty, and importantly, our national security by voting ``yes'' on this amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

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Ms. SPANBERGER. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

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