“As a member of the Armed Services Committee, Sen. Kaine met with DOD officials to further discuss the impact that oil drilling would have on our military operations in Hampton Roads and concluded we should not be undertaking speculative drilling activities that could potentially impact installations in the region.

“Sen. Kaine recognizes the Navy is a key economic pillar of the Hampton Roads economy and must be protected.”

In March the Obama administration announced that it had reversed course on its plan to allow oil and natural gas drilling off the coast of Virginia and other Southern states, citing opposition from coastal communities and potential impacts to military and space operations along Virginia’s shoreline.

Clinton tweeted the day of the announcement that she was “relieved Atlantic drilling is now off the table.”

Kaine noted at the time that he was “particularly struck” by the objections of the Department of Defense, which had “never shared their objections with me before.” He said he looked forward to the additional discussions with DOD, which led him to re-evaluate his position.

Kaine previously joined Sen. Mark R. Warner, D-Va., in backing legislation to allow oil and gas exploration off Virginia’s coast, as long as the federal government shared revenues with the state.