Pelosi Calls Bush Oil Plan “A Hoax”
No sooner had President Bush blamed rising gasoline prices on Democratic intransigence this afternoon than congressional leaders dismissed his decision to lift the executive ban on offshore drilling as a political stunt.
“Once again, the oilman in the White House is echoing the demands of Big Oil,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said. “The Bush plan is a hoax. It will neither reduce gas prices nor increase energy independence. It just gives millions more acres to the same companies that are sitting on nearly 68 million acres of public lands and coastal areas.”
“I’ve been in Washington long enough to know a political stunt when I see one,” said Rep. Rahm Emanuel, chairman of the House Democratic Caucus. “The good news is the American people won’t be fooled. If the President wants to lower gas prices, he should stop hosting press conferences and start taking action.”
Bush’s Rose Garden announcement amounted to the latest salvo in a monthslong battle over energy policy while the cost of oil has continued to climb. Republicans - and growing numbers of Americans generally - have favored opening up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and offshore areas to exploration.
“For years, my administration has been calling on Congress to expand domestic oil production,” Bush said during his Rose Garden announcement. “Unfortunately, Democrats on Capitol Hill have rejected virtually every proposal - and now Americans are paying at the pump.”
Bush’s decision to lift the ban imposed by his father on drilling in the outer continental sheft leaves only a congressional prohibition in place. He called on lawmakers to remove it forthwith.
“The only thing standing between the American people and these vast oil resources is action from the U.S. Congress,” he said. “Now the ball is squarely in Congress’ court. Democratic leaders can show that they have finally heard the frustrations of the American people by matching the action I’ve taken today, repealing the congressional ban, and passing legislation to facilitate responsible offshore exploration.”
Nor, Bush said, should they stop there. He said the legislation should also allow for the exploration of oil shale, open ANWR to drilling and expand domestic refining capacity.
None of which is likely. Democrats say they are for domestic drilling - on the tens of millions of acres on which oil companies already hold federal leases. Over the last week, they’ve been calling on Bush to begin releasing oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
“If the President wants to bring down prices in the next two weeks, not the next two decades, he should free our oil by releasing a small portion of the more than 700 million barrels of oil we have,” Pelosi said.
Republican leaders, meanwhile, took the opportunity to push what they call their “all of the above” approach to energy.
“Enacting this plan, which would increase production of American energy, improve energy efficiency and conservation, and encourage investment in groundbreaking research in advanced alternative and renewable energy technologies, will signal to the rest of the world that America will leave no stone unturned in our efforts to bring down fuel costs,” House Minority Leader John Boehner said.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said drilling on the outer continental shelf “will do nothing to lower gas prices, but will mean one more handout to those who are already enjoying billions of dollars in taxpayer subsidies.”
“Let me remind President Bush,” Hoyer said: “If the oil companies wanted more domestic drilling, they could begin today. They could begin on the 68 million acres of land that are already set aside, leased, and available.”
In quieter moments, officials on both sides acknowledge there is little they can do in the short term to restrain retail prices - which makes it easy for each to accuse the other of posturing.
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