McDonnell hits off shore technology conference - Gulf oil spill sure to dominate....

Gov. Bob McDonnell is heading to an off shore technology conference in Houston, Texas on Monday even as workers in the Gulf of Mexico work feverishly to stop a rig from pumping thousands of barrels of crude into the water.

One wonders if sponsors like BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil are going to want to focus on the ongoing disaster.  

The oil slick - as much as five times larger then first estimated - made landfall along the Gulf coast on Friday and President Barack Obama and officials from BP continue efforts to keep the spill from doing more damage. Here's the latest report from Reuters on the oil slick, which is the size of Jamaica and could take 90 days before the leak can be plugged.

The Gulf oil disaster is a major looming headache for both McDonnell and Obama - who both believe that America must tap into off shore oil and natural gas reserves to move toward energy independence. McDonnell has owned off shore drilling as a campaign issue, which puts him in a precarious position. 

Yesterday, McDonnell told Daily Press environment reporter Cory Nealon that the disaster cannot end the effort to tap into Virginia's rich natural resources. Here's what McDonnell had to say. 

McDonnell, a longtime advocate of oil and natural gas exploration off Virginia's coast, told the Daily Press that the Gulf accident is "certainly a cause for concern." He compared it to an airplane crash - most people don't stop flying because of them - as an example that offshore drilling is a dangerous business.

He said lessons can be learned and technology can be improved as a result of the April 20 oil rig explosion, which killed 11 workers. He said it shouldn't stop Virginia from drilling into the Atlantic.

"What we shouldn't do is stop progress all together, and say we shouldn't get into this business venture," he said.

The airplane crash analogy works somewhat - but it'd be hard to find a single airplane crash that managed to wreck the tourism economy of multiple states and cripple local ecosystems to boot.

McDonnell has said repeatedly that he wants to be the first state to tap into oil reserves and Obama reversal of the moratorium on off shore drilling along the East Coast put Virginia at the front of the line for tapping in.

At the off shore conference - McDonnell is probably going to be surrounded by like-minded folks who want in on the off shore business. The sponsors are a who's who of petroleum interests.

Here's a list of the technical program which includes a portion on "Business risks."

But needless to say the dangers of Virginia coast exploration have to scare the be-jesus out of folks from the Virginia Beach Oceanfront to the Eastern Shore to Hampton to Gloucester and beyond.

McDonnell could very well be far out of office before a barrel of oil is pumped out of Virginia's reserves. But off shore drilling - good or bad - will remain a huge part of his legacy. He even touted it on twitter as one of the major accomplishments of his first 100 days in office, one wonders how history will rank that decision down the line.

Hopefully the Gulf spill is contained in the near future and serves as a crystal clear warning to companies and politicians who love chanting "drill here, drill now, pay less."

For Virginians worried about prices at the pump, the bright, burning "CAUTION" sign couldn't be any clearer.

Obama give update on Gulf oil spill and talks safety precautions for off shore drilling...

President Barack Obama used a Friday morning speech to address the ongoing oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and how he expects to move forward on off shore drilling in other areas including Virginia.

Obama, speaking in the Rose Garden, talked about the oil spill which still hasn't been contained and made landfall on the Gulf coast this morning. Obama and Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell are over a barrel on this one, because they both want to tap into off shore reserves of oil and natural gas, and this spill underscores the potential catastrophic dangers to nearby coastlines.

The problem would be especially acute in Virginia Beach and Hampton Roads if a rig off Virginia's coastline busted wide open. A lot of the safety and containment techniques are experimental, which leaves sea-life - fish, mammals, shrimp and oysters - extremely vulnerable.

Here's the top of Obama's speech with emphasis added:

THE PRESIDENT: Good morning, everybody. Before I make a statement on the economy, I just want to offer an update on the ongoing federal response to the worsening oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

I have dispatched the Secretaries of Interior and Homeland Security, as well as the Administrator of the EPA, my Assistant for Energy and Climate Change Policy, and the NOAA Administrator to the Gulf Coast to ensure that we continue to do everything necessary to respond to this event. And I expect their reports from the ground today.

As I said yesterday, BP is ultimately responsible under the law for paying the costs of response and cleanup operations, but we are fully prepared to meet our responsibilities to any and all affected communities. And that’s why we’ve been working closely with state and local authorities since the day of the explosion.

There are now five staging areas to protect sensitive shorelines; approximately 1,900 federal response personnel are in the area; and more than 300 response vessels and aircraft on the scene 24/7. We've also laid approximately 217,000 feet of protective boom, and there are more on the way.

I've order Secretary Salazar to conduct a thorough review of this incident and report back to me in 30 days on what, if any, additional precautions and technologies should be required to prevent accidents like this from happening again. And we're going to make sure that any leases going forward have those safeguards. We've also dispatched teams to the Gulf to inspect all deepwater rigs and platforms to address safety concerns.

So, let me be clear. I continue to believe that domestic oil production is an important part of our overall strategy for energy security, but I've always said it must be done responsibly, for the safety of our workers and our environment. The local economies and livelihoods of the people of the Gulf Coast as well as the ecology of the region are at stake. And we're going to continue to update the American people on the situation in the Gulf going forward.

VDOT worker says revoked license plate isn't coded Nazi message....

Usually we'll only give you snippets of a story on this blog, but this one includes VDOT, NASCAR, the Confederacy, Islam and Hitler.

Kudos to Brigid Schulte of the Washington Post on this phenomenal story about this license plate. 

 

Douglas Story, a Chantilly dump truck driver for the Virginia Department of Transportation, says he wanted to grab people's attention when he paid $224.90 to have a mural of the burning World Trade Center detailed onto the tailgate of his Ford F-150 along with a sticker that reads: "Everything I ever needed to know about Islam I learned on 9/11."

But he got more than he bargained for when a photo of his pickup went viral on the Web last week. Motorists and Muslim groups complained that his Virginia vanity license plate -- 14CV88 -- was really code for neo-Nazi, white supremacist sentiments. The state Department of Motor Vehicles voted last week to recall Story's plates and force him to buy new ones.

"There is absolutely no way I'd have anything to do with Hitler or Nazis," Story said Wednesday. He contacted The Washington Post after an article about his plate appeared last week; the state, citing privacy rules, had declined to release the identity of the plate's owner. "My sister-in-law and my niece are Jewish. I went to my niece's bat mitzvah when she turned 13 three years ago. Does that sound like something an anti-Semite would do?"

Story says the numbers 14 and 88 on his plate were not references to a white power slogan or "Heil Hitler," as the Council on American-Islamic Relations theorized, but an homage to his favorite NASCAR drivers: Tony Stewart, who drives car No. 14, and Dale Earnhardt Jr., who drives No. 88.

Story applied for the vanity plate in March 2009, shortly after Earnhardt changed his car number from 8 to 88 and Stewart changed his from 20 to 14.

CAIR spokesman Ibrahim Hooper said his group looked into the meaning of the numbers 14 and 88 after receiving complaints about Story's license plates. He said the group found that among neo-Nazis, 88 refers to "Heil Hitler," because H is the eighth letter of the alphabet. White supremacists sometimes use the number 14, Hooper said, as shorthand for the 14-word motto, "We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children."

Story says that his truck has long been decorated with the Confederate battle flag and that he does have "CV" Sons of Confederate Veterans plates, which he obtained after discovering that his great-great-great-grandfather was a second lieutenant with the Alabama Partisan Rangers during the Civil War.

The flag "celebrates my Southern heritage," he said. "And the numbers recognize my favorite drivers in that southernest of sports, NASCAR."

He says he doesn't know who took the photo of his truck, in a handicapped parking spot, that became a viral sensation on the Web. "Probably someone who obviously has a soft spot for Islam," he said, pronouncing the word "I-slam," "because if you pronounce it 'Ih-slahm,' it's not disparaging enough."

He said he has a permit that allows him to park in handicapped spaces because of injuries he suffered in a 1985 motorcycle accident.

Hooper said he doesn't buy Story's version "given the overt anti-Muslim bigotry displayed on the truck and the Confederate flags and their historic connotation of racism. But it's his right to make that appeal to the Virginia DMV." Story said he has no intention of appealing. "I don't want my truck firebombed," he said.

Story received a certified letter last week from the DMV ordering him to get new plates. And his boss told him that he could no longer park on VDOT property with the anti-Islam mural. So Story spent an afternoon getting new randomized plates and peeling the mural off by hand.

"I feel naked," he said.

Here's the full story from the Washington Post.

And here's the original story when the DMV recalled the plate but refused to identify the driver.  

UPDATE:

Perhaps Doug Story should have updated his facebook page before speaking with the Washington Post and disavowing any Nazi beliefs. Now maybe this is a fake facebook page.

Mr. Story's public profile says he apparently is "!00% White, 100% Aryan" and "Over the past 28 years I, like David Duke, have had an Awakening." Gawker has the goods on Mr. Story.

Yikes - Doug Story welcome to cyberspace.  

2nd UPDATE: Doug Story's contact info includes www.newsaxon.org - a website devoted to "an online community for white by whites."  

McDonnell ends ban on State Police chaplains from saying "Jesus Christ" in public prayers...

Gov. Bob McDonnell ended a ban on State Police troopers referring to "Jesus Christ" in public prayers, arguing that praying in a non-denominational way restricts faith.

In the fall of 2008, the State Police superintendent issued the directive amid concerns that the prayers led by State Police chaplains could be misconstrued as a government endorsement of a specific religion - namely Christianity.

The directive came on the heels of a federal court ruling, here's a snippet from the Washington Post story at the time - when 6 chaplains resigned their positions in protest.

In a statement, Col. W. Steven Flaherty, the State Police superintendent, said he asked chaplains to offer nondenominational prayers at department-sanctioned public events but that the request does not apply to private ceremonies or individual counseling.

Flaherty said his decision was in response to a recent federal appeals court ruling that a Fredericksburg City Council member may not pray "in Jesus's name" during council meetings because the opening invocation is government speech.

Former Gov. Timothy M. Kaine supported the decision.

Conservative Republican lawmakers fumed when Kaine enacted the ban arguing that Kaine was effectively limited freedom of speech. But efforts to legislate a change proved unsuccessful in the General Assembly, so the rule stayed on the books until this week when McDonnell's office reportedly informed chaplains that they could again refer to Jesus in prayers.

McDonnell's spokesman Tucker Martin had this to say to the Washington Post.

"The Governor does not believe the state should tell chaplains of any faith how to pray,'' Martin said. "Religious officials of all faiths should be allowed to pray according to the dictates of their own conscience, and in accordance with their faith traditions, while being respectful of the faith traditions of others.

"Prior to a change two years ago, the State Police permitted those participating in the volunteer State Police chaplain program, established in 1979, to pray in accordance with their own faith. The Governor believes that longstanding bipartisan policy is the appropriate one. This policy puts the State Police chaplains in the same position as those in the United States Military, Virginia National Guard and other law enforcement agencies."

The Family Foundation head Victoria Cobb is ecstatic:

“We are obviously thrilled that Governor McDonnell has fulfilled his campaign promise to restore the religious liberty rights of state police chaplains. His action reverses the discriminatory policy of the previous administration and ensures that chaplains can remain true to their faith at public events. The gags must now come off.

“There was no legitimate reason for the policy change in the first place. This was an act of discrimination by the Kaine administration, plain and simple. No court anywhere requires the Kaine policy. Governor McDonnell is completely within is authority and has the Constitution on his side.

“I don’t think the vast majority of Virginians are offended when someone expresses their faith publically, regardless of what that faith is. We are a pluralistic society that respects people of many faiths. Respect does not require one to silence their faith in public. That’s censorship.”

Del. David Englin, who is Jewish, is concerned that Virginia will be less inclusive - and potentially less constitutional - then the U.S. military.  

"As a Jew, I am proud of Virginia's history of religious inclusiveness, which started with Thomas Jefferson, who wrote the Statute of Religious Freedom, and George Washington, who promised the Jews of Newport, Rhode Island, an American government "which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance."

As an Air Force veteran raised on U.S. military bases overseas, I have experienced firsthand the unifying power of military chaplains, who defend the First Amendment by ministering in their own particular faith traditions to their denominational flocks while providing inclusive, nondenominational blessings at official government functions. Even beyond that, military chaplains pride themselves on ensuring people under their charge of all faiths -- or no faith -- are able to exercise their beliefs. As an Air Force officer, I attended Passover seders and other Jewish observances organized by Methodist, Baptist, and Catholic chaplains.

Rather than look to this proven, constitutional model, Bob McDonnell has chosen a policy that allows agents of the government to foist their religious beliefs on others, satisfying the Religious Right while turning his back on the diversity and pluralism that has made our country great." 

Shad Plank Live -- Thursday morning at 11

Join Daily Press political reporter Kimball Payne for Shad Plank's weekly Web chat, Thursday morning at 11.

This week it'll be a political grab bag. It will also be the last Shad Plank Live till the last Thursday in May. So don't miss your chance to sound off!

Kaine eyeing 2010 midterms with new Democratic strategy to boost turnout...

Democratic National Committee Chairman Timothy M. Kaine is set to lay out the details of "the largest midterm effort ever undertaken in the history of the (Democratic) Party" this afternoon in Washington.

Republicans are eager to get to the 2010 midterms, banking that frustration with health care reform and the Democratic majority and uneasiness with President Barack Obama will drive voters out in droves to support the GOP alternative.

Midterm elections never draw as many voters as presidential races - and without Obama on the ballot that means Democrats need to find a way to get voters excited about turning out at the ballot box. The folks on the conservative side of the spectrum aren't worried about turnout - they've seen the early stages on a Republican revival with the election of Gov. Bob McDonnell and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie - two Republicans last year.

Kaine better have a plan - and Obama's old team needs to regain that campaign swagger that handed Sen. John McCain and Sarah Palin and huge loss on the campaign trail in 2008. The details are thin at this point - so we'll see what kind of machine Kaine and Obama are preparing.

Here's the release:

Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairman Tim Kaine will discuss the DNC and Organizing for America’s historic “VOTE 2010” election effort with activists from around the country at a forum at the Democratic National Committee TODAY, Wednesday, April 28th at 4:00 P.M. EDT. Chairman Kaine will outline the VOTE 2010 election program—the largest midterm effort ever undertaken in the history of the Party—and discuss planned efforts to target voters who came out to the polls for the first time in 2008.

During the forum, the Chairman will share the DNC’s plans to register new voters in 2010 and highlight the sophisticated ways in which the Party plans to reach those critical voters through technology and new media strategies in addition to more traditional grassroots organizing. As part of his remarks, Chairman Kaine will describe the stark choice facing voters this fall—between Democrats, who have a strong record of standing with Main Street and middle class Americans, and Republicans, who just this week opted to stand on the side of the big banks, credit card companies, and special interests by voting to block the start of public debate on Wall Street reform.

Richmond hosts massive winefest in 2011 - expects $1.5 million in revenue....

Gov. Bob McDonnell said on the campaign trail that Virginia wineries could bring in tourists and help produce jobs in the state, and next year a major wine expo is heading to Richmond.

According to the administration, Wineries Unlimited is the "second largest vineyard and winery conference and tradeshow in North America."  The event previously was held in Pennsylvannia.

“We are thrilled that Wineries Unlimited has decided to move to Virginia. Virginia wines have seen their standing in the domestic and global marketplaces grow in recent years and having Wineries Unlimited in Virginia will help us as we continue our efforts to promote Virginia wines both here and abroad. This is also a chance for us to showcase our first class wineries to people from across the nation. It is estimated that this event will also bring 2,000 people from across the United States to Virginia and almost $1.5 million in new revenue to the state. Tourism and support of the wine industry were two priorities of my ‘Jobs and Opportunities’ legislative agenda. It is excitement for tourism growth and wine expansion in Virginia that helped us convince Vineyard & Winery Management to relocate the Wineries Unlimited trade show to the Commonwealth. I look forward to this trade show returning to our great state for years to come and creating a lasting partnership with Vineyard & Winery Management.”

“The outpouring of enthusiasm and excitement we’ve received in the State of Virginia — from the wine industry up to the governor — has been tremendous,” said Robert Merletti, publisher of Vineyard & Winery Management magazine, and president of Vineyard & Winery Services, Inc. “Virginia vintners are eager to learn the latest winegrowing techniques as well as establish beneficial vendor relations.”

“The needs of Wineries Unlimited will be well served in Richmond,” said Ann Heidig, president of the Virginia Wineries Association. “Governor Bob McDonnell is very supportive of the Virginia wine industry as well as state agriculture and tourism.”

Annette Boyd, marketing office director of the Virginia Wine Board, said the move will create new opportunities for Virginia wineries: “Our growers and producers will have better access to the information provided by Wineries Unlimited, and the event will help showcase their wines to colleagues from other states.”

“Richmond lies in the center of Virginia’s rapidly-growing wine industry and is a prime location for Wineries Unlimited,” said Jack Berry, president and CEO of the Richmond Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau (RMCVB). “Wine industry representatives will enjoy our big-city amenities and small-town charm as well as Virginia wine.”

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Northrop Grumman's Virginia donations feed Republicans and Democrats...

Gov. Bob McDonnell's big win in landing Northrop Grumman cost the state between $12 million and $15 million according to the administration.

But it's impossible to simply look at that number free of context - including the millions that the defense contracting company has dumped into campaign coffers for McDonnell and dozens of other Virginia politicos.

Just take a look at the numbers over at the Virginia Public Access Project and you see that just about everybody who mounted a serious run for office has been able to cash in thanks to Northrop Grumman.

Last year, McDonnell got $50,500 for his campaign for governor and his Democratic opponent Creigh Deeds got $25,000. McDonnell's inauguration committee got another $25,000 from the company. Troll through the list and you can see that the company covers its bases very well when it comes to Virginia leadership.

Couple that with the big and lucrative extension McDonnell signed with Northrop Grumman on the Virginia Information Technology Agency. The three-year extension on the problem-laden contract included $105 million in extra payouts and $47 million in additional purchases from the state.

Here's a story breaking down the new deal with Northrop Grumman and the state. 

There truly is no such thing as a free lunch.

Maryland Gov. O'Malley says the Northrop Grumman move was a "real estate decision"....

It's always good to get a differing perspective, and the Baltimore Sun report on Northrop Grumman provides some interesting tidbits about the deal, Virginia's reputation and the fallout in Maryland.

According to Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley Northrop officials said it was mainly a "real estate decision." For full context Virginia voters should remember that O'Malley, a Democrat, launched his re-election campaign on Tuesday.

Here's a snippet of the full Baltimore Sun report on Northrop Grumman's move to Virginia by reporters Andrea K. Walker, Jaime Smith Hopkins and Paul West:

News that Northrop had chosen Virginia did not come as a surprise to some who follow the region's economy.

"I always thought Northern Virginia would win — not only are they a lower-cost location in a state that is generally more friendly to business — the congressional delegation is also much more pro-military," Richard P. Clinch, director of economic research at the University of Baltimore's Jacob France Institute, said in an e-mail.

Virginia's pro-business and military-friendly reputation was a major factor when General Dynamics chose the state over Maryland a decade ago, Clinch said.

"I do not believe Maryland or D.C. was seriously in the running — unless they were willing to buy the deal — which cuts in economic development funding made difficult," Clinch said.

Maryland Republican Party Chairman Audrey Scott called the Virginia move "somber news" and blamed a bad business climate in the state.

"Sadly, this announcement should come as no surprise to anyone, as Governor O'Malley has made it nearly impossible to do business in this state," Scott said in a statement. "Through record tax increases and bureaucratic red tape O'Malley has turned Maryland into an increasingly hostile environment for job creation."

Members of the state's congressional delegation tried to look on the bright side.

Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin was "disappointed in the decision, but Northrop Grumman will still have a major presence our state and we will continue to build on that relationship," Sue Walitsky, a spokeswoman for the Democrat, said in an e-mail.

"This is deeply disappointing. Maryland has been a very good neighbor to Northrop Grumman," Democratic Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski said in a statement. "We appreciate what they do to provide jobs to thousands of Marylanders and the important role they play in national security. If they change their mind, we will keep a light in the window for them."

So clearly Virginia "pro-business" and "military friendly" reputation helped the state in the deal.

It'll also be interesting to see what kind of incentives Virginia was willing to offer Northrop Grumman. Clinch talks about Maryland or Washington trying to make a move by "buying the deal" in order to land it away from Virginia, which raises questions about how much Virginia invested.

Navy says Mayport carrier move in 2019 is not a delay - Republicans rejoice...

According to a Navy Times article, the Navy's target date for moving an aircraft carrier to Mayport, Florida has been 2019 for at least the past few months. 

Here's a snippet from the full Navy Times article on the Mayport move:

But 2019 has been the target for some time, Macapagal said.

“The original move date in the Environmental Impact Study was 2014, but that was based on funding all military projects in 2010. The Navy deferred that decision until the [Quadrennial Defense Review] to ensure it was supported.”

After that process, the administration’s fiscal 2011 budget committed $590 million — spread from fiscal 2011 to fiscal 2019 — for necessary upgrades such as dredging and pier improvements. Infrastructure planning and design is to begin in 2011, and construction follows in 2012, Macapagal said.

“The project is scheduled to be completed in 2019. This is not a delay,” he said.

Rep. Ander Crenshaw, R-Fla., on Thursday issued a statement that “nothing has changed” regarding the move. However, he added that the “2019 homeport date is a worst-case scenario and would only occur if each and every step of the process took the longest amount of time possible. Frankly, the Navy would do it faster if there were more money.”

This statement from the Navy of course comes on the heels of a flurry of activity last week from U.S. Rep. Glenn Nye and U.S. Sen. Jim Webb who spotted a new date on planning documents and ran with it. Previous paperwork said 2014 was the date for the move, but the more recent documents said 2019.

This is of vital importance to Nye who faces a tough re-election campaign this November, and also for Webb who is recognized for his strong Navy links and influence and likely will face a campaign challenge in 2012 when he's up for re-election.

Meanwhile, Republicans in Washington are celebrating the potential move because it could harm Nye's re-election odds. Take a look at the statement released from the National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Andy Sere.

“Either Glenn Nye exercised poor judgment in speaking too soon or he deliberately misled voters in a shameless attempt to score political points. Intentional or not, he owes Hampton Roads families an apology. The fact is that – his campaign promises notwithstanding – thousands of local jobs are leaving, and he needs to summon the courage to take responsibility for his ineffectiveness.”– Andy Seré, NRCC spokesman.

It's understandable that Republicans want to see Nye is a weak position when it comes to his re-election bid - politics is a contact sport and the GOP wants to get some power back in Washington. And they've got every right to take Nye and Webb to task for trying to score political points. Fair enough.

But it's hard to put much stock in the NRCC asking for an apology to Hampton Roads families, when its staffers are sitting around cheering for the carrier to leave Virginia. That's a little too smarmy even for a campaign.    

Even the Navy is acknowledging that the date is relatively new - it only surfaced in the past few months and really weeks and clearly came as a welcome surprise for Nye and Webb. While it may represent contingency plans, funding requirements and environmental data, the reality is that 2019 is half a decade later than 2014 - the initial date for the carrier move.

This isn't exactly a win for Hampton Roads locals - but an extra five-year buffer certainly isn't bad news.