Mitt Romney
plans to unveil an energy plan Thursday morning in Hobbs, N.M., that
would allow states more control over the development of energy resources
on federal lands within their borders, as well as aggressively expand
offshore oil
and gas drilling — including along the coasts of Virginia and the
Carolinas — as part of a broader effort to reach energy independence.
The plan is bound to be contentious after the disastrous BP well blowout
in 2010, which leaked millions of barrels of oil in the Gulf of Mexico
and left 11 workers dead. The proposal may win votes in Virginia, where
drilling would bring jobs and state revenues, but would be controversial
in Florida, where offshore drilling has long been viewed as a threat to tourism.
The Romney campaign released the proposal, complete with a 21-page white
paper, Wednesday evening as part of an overall energy plan that
includes granting states more regulatory power over drilling on federal
lands, revitalizing the nuclear power industry, and approving the Keystone XL pipeline to carry more Canadian oil to refineries in the United States.
Romney campaign officials emphasized the importance of opening more oil
and gas drilling on federal lands, a theme that Mr. Romney is likely to
trumpet Thursday on his visit to New Mexico, where the oil industry
hopes to open more federal areas for exploration and production.
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