Bush Calls for More Offshore Drilling
President Bush urged Congress to lift its long-standing ban on offshore oil and gas drilling, saying the U.S. needs to increase its energy production. Democrats quickly rejected the idea.
“There is no excuse for delay,” the president said in a statement in the Rose Garden. With the presidential election just months away, Bush made a pointed attack on Democrats, accusing them of obstructing his energy proposals and blaming them for high gasoline costs. His proposal echoed a call by Republican presidential candidate John McCain to open the Continental Shelf for exploration
Congressional Democrats were quick to reject the push for lifting the drilling moratorium, saying oil companies already have 68 million acres offshore waters under lease that are not being developed.
