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By: Jeff Schapiro
Published: June 29, 2010 11:03 AM
Jim Webb, Virginia senior U.S. senator, supports offshore drilling for oil and gas as a way to strengthen the nation’s energy security. But the first-term Democrat also says that those platforms should be secure from terror strikes.
In a letter this week to the secretaries of defense, homeland security and interior, Webb that says oil and gas wells should be guarded against attacks and sabatoge. Webb says the BP disaster in the Gulf of Mexico is a reminder that more must be done to avoid accidental spills.
But Webb also says that the nation must take steps to prevent wells from becoming targets for terrorists, noting that security standards have already been increased for nuclear power plants. They now have to be strong enough to withstand plane crashes.
“Security issues surrounding oil and gas drilling are of a different nature, but a lack of vigilance could leave the marine ecosystem, as well as certain areas of our national security, at great risk,” said Webb. “The Deepwater Horizon incident has caused the worst environmental disaster in our nation’s history. With dozens of wells operating in the Gulf of Mexico and elsewhere, we must employ policies that mitigate all types of risk.”
Webb, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, goes on to request that the leaders of the Pentagon and the U.S. Departments of Homeland Security and Interior report to Congress “as soon as practicable, your assessment of the vulnerability of offshore oil rigs to attack, the current framework for addressing such risks, and your recommendations to Congress for deploying adequate resources and safeguards.”
Webb, whose office released a copy of the letter this morning, has been increasing his visibility. Perhaps it has something to do with 2012, when he is expected to seek a second term—possibly in a rematch with the Republican freshman and unofficial presidential candidate he narrowly defeated in 2006: George Allen.
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