EUCLID, Ohio -- President Bush, pressuring lawmakers to act on gasoline prices before they break for the summer, challenged Congress again Tuesday to relent on offshore oil drilling, said the Associated Press.
Bush has lifted an executive ban on exploratory drilling for oil in the waters along both the East and West coasts and in the eastern Gulf of Mexico. But the move will not have any effect unless Congress lifts its own prohibition on drilling off America's coastlines. That appears doubtful at best, but Bush has kept trying.
"Now it's up to the United States Congress to make [image-nocss] a decision as to whether or not you're going to continue to face high gasoline prices at the pump," Bush told workers at a Lincoln Electric welding plant in northeast Ohio.
Democrats maintain that more drilling isn't the answer. And they argue a point the White House itself concedes—allowing offshore drilling is not going to lower gasoline prices right away. Bush himself said, "It took us a while to get to this position, and it's going to take us a while to get out of it."
Still, Bush said more drilling would send an important signal to the world that the United States is serious about expanding the oil supply. He said it can be done in environmentally safe ways, but opponents fear oil spills and drops in coastal tourism.
The soaring cost of gasoline has turned energy policy into a kitchen-table issue. Millions of people who rely on their cars are eager to get some help from elected leaders—and those leaders, especially those up for election, want to show some action.
"If we're worried about your gasoline price and recognize that it's high because of the price of crude oil, and it's possible to find more oil right here in the United States...doesn't it make sense to try to find that oil?" Bush said. "I think it does."
Bush also pushed for nuclear power and other forms of alternative energy.
Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill are in a stalemate over how to rein in energy prices. Using the country's frustration as leverage, the president is trying to build pressure on lawmakers to take action before they leave town for their August recess.
"It's interesting to note that many of our consumers have already made the decision to switch away from automobiles, like SUVs that consume a lot of gasoline, to smaller cars," Bush said. "Why? Because you're smart. You know how to handle your own business."
Click herefor a full transcript of Bush's remarks, as well as photos of the event.
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