Democratic Leaders Blast Allen's Reckless, Hypocritical Pipeline Rhetoric

by: lowkell

Wed Jan 25, 2012 at 12:16:50 PM EST

Democratic Leaders Blast Allen's Reckless, Hypocritical Pipeline Rhetoric

Richmond, VA - Virginia Democrats spoke out today against former-Senator George Allen's reckless and hypocritical rhetoric on the possibility of building more oil and natural gas pipelines in Virginia without giving them the proper environmental and public safety review.

As reported by radio station WINA, Allen said during an interview yesterday that "Virginia would not study the route of an oil or natural gas pipeline inside its borders:"

"If there were an issue, gosh we'd put a natural gas pipeline, or should we put an oil pipeline through Virginia, it wouldn't be worrying about gosh, lets have a study, let's determine the danger of this." He continued, "if Virginia were trying to hold up a gas pipeline, or oil pipeline, it simply wouldn't happen because we have them."

House of Delegates Democratic Leader David Toscano (Charlottesville) condemned Allen's dangerous suggestion that new pipelines would not require study because "we have them:"

"Building a pipeline through Virginia without conducting a single study or review is not in the best interests of our citizens. While a decision to build may ultimately make sense, the failure to conduct a comprehensive review sets a dangerous precedent.  

"George Allen's suggestion that we can build an oil pipeline through Virginians' backyards without a thorough review of the consequences demonstrates, once again, that he puts the oil industry's interests before public safety and the good of the Commonwealth."

Virginia Senator Adam Ebbin (Arlington), a member of the Argiculture, Conservation and Natural Resources Committee continued:

"George Allen's suggestion to construct an oil pipeline through Virginia without first considering its impact on Virginia's local communities is completely irresponsible. Whether we're talking about mining uranium or digging a pipeline for oil, we should not pursue a project on this scale until we fully understand its consequences on those affected.

"He is willing to rubber stamp another project for the oil industry that lined his pockets in Washington without considering whether the project would truly benefit Virginians - or worse, whether it would put peoples' lives and property at risk. Allen's comments today reinforce that he cannot be trusted to represent the best interests of the Commonwealth in the Senate."

Allen attacked President Obama and Democrats for calling for further study of the Keystone XL pipeline, but joined a bipartisan coalition of Virginians who advocated for taking exactly the same approach to uranium mining in Virginia.

The Democratic Party of Virginia previously condemned Allen's energy hypocrisy and the Richmond Times-Dispatch called Republicans out for "studiously ignoring" the similarities between the Keystone pipeline and uranium mining debates.