US President Wants More Offshore Drilling | Voice of America - English
U.S. President George Bush is again calling on opposition Democrats in Congress to expand offshore oil drilling.
When lawmakers return to work next month,President Bush says they should allow for more offshore oil drilling.In his weekly radio address, he says he has lifted executive limits onthat drilling and it is time for Congress to end its offshore ban. "Thisexploration is now banned by a provision included in the annualinterior appropriations bill," the president said. "When Congressreturns they should remove this restriction so we can get these vastoil resources from the ocean floor to your gas tank." Democratssay they generally support more offshore drilling but want oilcompanies to start by exploring the more than 27 million hectares ofland they are already leasing from the federal government. Inthe Democratic radio address, New Hampshire Senate candidate JeanneShaheen says President Bush and his Republican party have drivenAmerica's economy into the ground. "They have protectedbillions in tax give-aways for big oil and tax loopholes for businesseswho ship jobs overseas rather than making a serious commitment to thedevelopment of clean alternative energy that can transform our economyand create thousands of new jobs," she said. Public opinionpolls show many voters are concerned about high energy prices, so thatis a part of this year's presidential campaign. The RepublicanParty's national committee is running a television commercial backingthe president's call for more offshore drilling. The Republican adchampions the energy policy of its presidential candidate, ArizonaSenator John McCain, over the Democratic opponent, Illinois SenatorBarrack Obama. The Obama campaign is running a commercial thatseeks to link McCain with President Bush and what Obama says is a WhiteHouse that has been too close to big oil companies. Apublic opinion poll by CBS News and this past weekasked voters what is the most important thing for them in deciding thenext president. Forty percent said the economy and jobs. Gas prices andenergy policy tied for second with the war in Iraq at 15 percent.