Va Senate OKs coast drilling royalties

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - The Senate has passed a piece of Gov. Bob McDonnell's highway funding plan to direct royalties paid to drill for oil and gas off the Virginia coast to transportation.

Monday's 21-19 vote completes legislative passage and sends the measure to McDonnell, who campaigned for it a year ago in his run for governor.

The Senate narrowly rejected Sen. Dick Saslaw's bid to reroute the revenue to the state's cash-starved general fund.

The bill won't provide relief to highway underfunding soon, though. Federal law now bans offshore drilling off the East Coast.

Even if it were legalized immediately, it would take years for drills to be built and yield money.