Offshore Drilling Now Part of MD's Energy Plan

In a classic “but I was against it before I was for it” moment, Governor Martin O’Malley stood with President Barack Obama in support of the decision to open the mid-Atlantic region to offshore drilling.

Maryland's environmental community is steamed. Offshore drilling off the coasts of Maryland and Virginia has been a long-standing bugaboo for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) and related organizations.

In a scorching press release, CBF President Will Baker said: "Offshore drilling creates a new pollution source, one capable of significant, even devastating environmental damage from drilling, transportation, storage, or refinement. Taken together, the totality of the potential harm is too great a risk for the Chesapeake Bay, which EPA already officially lists as impaired." To see the full press release, click here.

According to the Washington Post, the O’Malley spin machine began to backtrack immediately after the appearance with Obama. Oh, O’Malley only knew a few hours ahead of the press conference what the topic was. Oh, even though O’Malley stood with Obama, his real position is “neutral.” For more on the backtracking, see John Wagner’s report in First Click, Maryland: click here.

In January, the Maryland League of Conservation Voters gave O’Malley a 2010 endorsement even before they knew who the candidates would be in the primary and general elections. Perhaps they learned a lesson and will refrain from early endorsements in the future? Or perhaps not?