The last administration really put the coal industry in a bad situation. We should not do the same thing to offshore drilling for oil and natural gas. We need to find ways to help America move forward, and standing behind offshore drilling in Virginia will help everybody.
On January 31, 2018, I retired from working in the coal industry for over 40 years. When I started out, I did hard labor shoveling the coal that would be crushed in the lab. Over the years, I worked my way up and since 1987, I was salaried and ran the machines that sampled coal. Offshore drilling could bring good-paying jobs to our state that would allow young families to grow and prosper as mine did. Originally, my family was from North Carolina in the tobacco belt. My father was in the military and as we moved with him across this nation, he instilled his work ethic in me as I have done with my three children. As we move forward in this country, our legislators should find ways to help reinforce the things that can make us strong. Offshore drilling is one way to help keep families standing and able to meet the challenges of life.
The economy in Chesapeake is getting better. My vote went to our president, and if we stand behind him, we will produce more energy and buy less from overseas. We live in a God-fearing country and are not meant to move backward to impoverish ourselves. Therefore, all energy industries should be given a fair shot. Offshore drilling could lower family energy bills so when they need to put on a new roof, maybe they can. Some families who struggle paying their energy bills may struggle less. Offshore drilling will make a big difference.
I do not believe any of the energy sector companies should need our tax dollars to lay pipeline, rail, or other means, in the current capitalistic environment this President has set up. I am not a global warming or climate change freak, I do not believe man has the ability to change what our planet, solar system, or our own sun does, that is in God Almighty's hands.
Randy Page