Virginia needs to become energy independent?by building pipelines and investing in on shore and offshore drilling.??We need to build the gas pipeline that transfers natural gas from the Marcellus Shale fields in West Virginia to the coast of Virginia.  Louisiana and Texas are building up their energy infrastructure, and they will be able to export petroleum and natural gas internationally while we are left in the dust.? Virginia has these natural resources and their production would provide massive revenue and jobs. I am sure that the coal miners?who lost their jobs, during the Obama years, in the South West Virginia coal fields would be more than happy to start drilling for shale oil or natural gas. 

It is ridiculous that oil and natural gas drilling is deemed dangerous.? The media and environmentalists hate petroleum and want to end all exploration. Their scare tactics work well with the uninformed public. Originally from Louisiana, I have a shale natural gas well located on my farm.? It is a fracked well and the fracking takes place about 2 miles below ground; one mile below the water table and has been completely safe.? I am an energy expert who is well-versed in oil and natural gas management.? When I was in the Army, I oversaw fuel management of 11 million barrels of petroleum products in Japan?as well as fuel farms in Korea.? After that, I worked as a government employee scheduling and managing fuel pipelines.? That is over?32 years of professional experience during which I learned again and again how great and safe?oil and natural gas is for our country. Natural gas is so cheap now thanks to fracking and exploration. Power companies are switching to natural gas. Utility bills are the cheapest they have been in 20 years.  

There are pipelines in this?nation that have been in operation safely for over 70 years.? They are made of high grade steel pipe. If pipelines are cleaned, pressure tested and protected from corrosion, they can transfer products indefinitely.? There are many Federal and State regulations that govern the safe operation of wells and pipelines. It would be a shame to see this state miss out on a great economic opportunity because environmentalists spread misinformation about a reliable fuel source.? We need to go after it and not sit back while Louisiana and Texas corner the market. 

Steve Bacle