WASHINGTON — President Bush says if Congress doesn’t permit offshore drilling to increase U.S. oil supplies and possibly ease gasoline prices, lawmakers should not expect voters to back them in November.
But Republican cries of “drill, baby, drill” are insufficient and won’t solve the nation’s energy crisis, Sen. Ken Salazar said in the Democrats’ radio response.
“In Colorado, we’re doing our part on drilling,” Salazar said. “We have more than 34,000 active gas wells. And we’re going to drill a whole lot more in the coming years.
“But we also know that drilling alone is not sufficient. Yet that was the only idea that John McCain and his friends at the Republican National Convention offered.”
Bush accused Democratic leaders of ignoring the public’s demand for relief from high energy prices.
“This is their final chance to take action before the November elections,” Bush said.
House Democrats will push for an energy plan that includes limited expansion of offshore drilling, requires power plants to use alternative fuels and demands oil companies pay additional royalties. And the Senate could take up energy legislation that Salazar and a bipartisan group of 19 others are crafting.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
