Bush: Democratic Lawmakers Face Backlash From Voters Over Offshore Drilling

Washington, D.C. (AHN) - Giving his weekly radio address over the weekend, President George W. Bush issued a stern warning to lawmakers returning to the Capitol after a five-week recess to pass an offshore drilling bill before the November elections or face a backlash from voters.

"In June, I called on Congress to open up more of America's domestic oil resources for exploration... The American people overwhelmingly support this proposal. But throughout the summer, the leaders of the Democratic Congress refused to allow it to come to a vote," the President said.

The President has been hammering Congress to lift a 27-year-old legislative ban on exploration in the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) and and Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). He already lifted a 1990 executive order in July prohibiting drilling.

Senate Democrats have been focused on a bill curbing oil speculation to stem rising gas prices, while the House Democratic leadership wants oil companies to first explore lands already leased to them for drilling. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has also called on Bush to authorize a drawdown of oil from the nation's stockpile to stem rising energy costs, but the President has said the Strategic Oil Reserve will only be used during emergencies. Rep. Edward Markey (D-MA), chair of the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, has also asked the White House to end all exports of U.S. oil.

Congress resume session on Monday for three weeks, when they return to their districts to campaign for the general election on Nov. 4. A bipartisan energy plan to includes limited drilling in the Gulf of Mexico is expected to be taken up in the Senate. Pelosi has also said House Democrats will introduce legislation once session resumes allowing for exploration in some areas of the OCS.

"This Congress has earned a reputation as one of the least productive in history. Throughout this year, Democratic leaders have ignored the public's demand for relief from high energy prices," Bush said in his radio address.

"This is their final chance to take action before the November elections. If members of Congress do not support the American people at the gas pump, then they should not expect the American people to support them at the ballot box," he added.