===========================================================================
President's Radio Address
===========================================================================
-->

For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary July 12, 2008

President's Radio Address

˙˙President's Radio Address
˙˙Audio ˙˙En Espa¤ol


THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. This week, Members of Congress returned to
Washington after their Fourth of July recess. While they were at home, they
heard a clear message from their constituents: Americans are concerned
about high gas prices. Everyone who commutes to work, grows food, books a
plane ticket, or runs a small business feels the squeeze of rising energy
prices. And Americans are increasingly frustrated with Congress's failure
to take action.

One of the factors driving up high gas prices is that many of our oil
deposits here in the United States have been put off-limits for exploration
and production. Past efforts to meet the demand for oil by expanding
domestic resources have been repeatedly rejected by Democrats in Congress.

Archives

Radio Address: 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001

Radio Interviews: 2006 2005 2004
FAQ

I can't find a radio station that carries the radio address. Do any
stations in Pomona carry it?
Click here for answer....

˙

˙ This week, however, we are seeing signs that the recent rise in gasoline
prices has caused some to rethink their long-held opposition to opening up
more areas for domestic production. If this change of heart is real, we can
work together on four steps that will expand American oil and gas
production and eventually relieve the pressure of rising prices.

First, we should expand American oil production by increasing access to
offshore exploration on the Outer Continental Shelf, or OCS. Experts
believe that the OCS that is currently off-limits could produce enough oil
to match America's current production for almost ten years. The problem is
that Congress has restricted access to key parts of the OCS since the early
1980s. Since that time, technological advances have allowed us to explore
oil offshore in ways that protect the environment.

Last month I called on the House and the Senate to lift this legislative
ban, so we can allow States to have the option of opening up OCS resources
off their coasts. I also offered to lift an executive restriction on this
exploration if Congress did so. Unfortunately, Congress has failed to act.
Time is running out before Congress leaves for its summer recess. For the
sake of our economy and American consumers, Congress must move quickly to
expand exploration of the OCS so we can tap into these vast oil resources
as soon as possible.

Second, we should expand oil production by tapping into the extraordinary
potential of oil shale. Oil shale is a type of rock that can produce oil
when exposed to heat or other processes. One major deposit in the Rocky
Mountain West alone could, if fully recovered, equal more than a century's
worth of imports at current levels. Last year, however, Democratic leaders
inserted a provision blocking oil shale leasing on Federal lands into an
omnibus spending bill. That provision can be taken out as easily as it was
slipped in -- and Congress should do so immediately.

Third, we should expand American oil production by permitting exploration
in northern Alaska. Scientists have developed innovative techniques to
reach this oil with virtually no impact on the land or local wildlife. With
a drilling footprint that covers just a tiny fraction of this vast terrain,
America could produce an estimated 10 billion barrels of oil. That is
roughly the equivalent of two decades of imported oil from Saudi Arabia. I
urge Members of Congress to allow this remote region to bring enormous
benefits to the American people.

Finally, we need to expand and enhance our refining capacity. It has been
30 years since a new refinery was built in our Nation, and lawsuits and red
tape have made it extremely costly to expand or modify existing refineries.
The result is that America now imports millions of barrels of fully refined
gasoline from abroad. This imposes needless costs on American families and
drivers, it deprives American workers of good jobs, and it is now time for
Congress to change it.

It's time for Members of Congress to address the pain that high gas prices
are causing our citizens. Every extra dollar that American families spend
because of high gas prices is one less dollar they can use to put food on
the table or send a child to college. The American people deserve better.
So I urge Congress to come together with my Administration now to ensure
that our economy remains the strongest, most vibrant, and most hopeful in
the world.

Thank you for listening.

END

===========================================================================
Return to this article at:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2008/07/20080712.html