WASHINGTON—U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) released the following statement in response to President Trump’s executive order on offshore oil and gas development:

“The Navy and NASA have expressed serious reservations about the potential impacts of energy exploration and development along the Atlantic coast, which was a significant reason President Obama withdrew these areas from possible development. It would be inappropriate and reckless to reverse that decision without strong assurances from the Department of Defense and NASA that their concerns have been addressed and fully mitigated. Additionally, I’ve always said that offshore development without a fair revenue-sharing agreement for Virginia is a complete non-starter, and given the changed economics of oil and gas development, it’s appropriate to question whether opening additional areas to offshore energy development makes sense at this time.”

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