× Thanks for reading! Log in to continue. Enjoy more articles by logging in or creating a free account. No credit card required. Log in Sign up {{featured_button_text}}

— The decision whether to approve a state permit for oil and gas drilling in Virginia’s ecologically sensitive coastal plain could be years away — perhaps after Gov. Terry McAuliffe leaves office.

That was the surprising message from two top McAuliffe officials during a panel discussion Wednesday on drilling in the Northern Neck, held at Rappahannock Community College.

“Any permit for drilling here is going to get the highest scrutiny that we give,” said Secretary of Commerce and Trade Maurice Jones in an interview after the session.

It can take at least a year for a company to prepare an application for a state drilling permit, and Jones said that to his knowledge, “we haven’t had an enterprise express any interest.” After an application is in, Virginia’s mining and environmental agencies could take nine months to a year to review it, Jones said.

Secretary of Natural Resources Molly Ward said it’s possible a drilling permit “is not something that’s going to cross our desk” in the current administration.