Today, in a bipartisan vote of 253-170, the House approved H.R. 6082, to replace President Obama’s no-new-jobs, no-new-drilling plan with a responsible, robust plan that offers 29 offshore lease sales, including Virginia Lease Sale 220 that was scheduled to take place in 2011 and has since been delayed and canceled by President Obama until at least 2017—six years after it was supposed to happen.

Despite the strong bipartisan support for the Virginia lease sale, President Obama has ensured Virginians won’t be able to produce energy while he is in office. According to a study, the Virginia lease sale, which is included in House Republican’s bipartisan energy plan, will create 2,000 jobs and produce 750 million barrels of oil, 6.65 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.

“When it comes to offshore energy production and the jobs it could create for Virginia, President Obama has repeatedly declared to the Commonwealth: not while I’m in office. While President Obama continues to play political games with America’s offshore energy production, thousands of unemployed Virginians could be hard at work helping America become more energy secure,” said Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings. “Today’s bipartisan House vote sent a strong message to President Obama that Virginia wants more jobs and American wants Virginians to produce more energy. It is now up to Virginia’s two Democrat U.S. Senators to stand up for the Commonwealth and work to ensure Virginians can get to work producing American energy.”

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