[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 44, Number 25 (Monday, June 30, 2008)]
[Pages 893-894]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
The President's Radio Address

June 21, 2008

    Good morning. Americans are concerned about the high price of 
gasoline. Everyone who commutes to work, purchases food, ships a 
product, or takes a family vacation feels the burden of higher prices at 
the pump. And families across our country are looking to Washington for 
a response.
    The fundamental problem behind high gas prices is that the supply of 
oil has not kept up with the rising demand across the world. One obvious 
solution is for America to increase our domestic oil production. So my 
administration has repeatedly called on Congress to open access to new 
oil exploration here in the United States. Unfortunately, Democrats on 
Capitol Hill have rejected virtually every proposal. Now Americans are 
paying the price at the pump for this obstruction. So this week, I asked 
Democratic congressional leaders to take the side of working families 
and small businesses and farmers and ranchers and move forward with four 
steps to expand American oil and gasoline production.
    First, we should expand American oil production by increasing access 
to the Outer Continental Shelf, or OCS. Experts believe that the OCS 
could produce enough oil to match America's current production for 
almost 10 years. The problem is that Congress has restricted access to 
key parts of the OCS since the early 1980s. So I've called on the House 
and Senate to lift this legislative ban and give States the option of 
opening up OCS resources off their shores, while protecting the 
environment. There's also an executive prohibition on exploration in the 
OCS, which I will lift when Congress lifts the legislative ban.
    Second, we should expand American 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 and other processes. One major 
deposit in the Rocky Mountain West alone would equal current annual oil 
imports for more than 100 years. Unfortunately, Democrats in Congress 
are standing in the way of further development. In last year's omnibus 
spending bill, Democratic leaders inserted a provision blocking oil 
shale leasing on Federal lands. 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 needs to change.
    I know Democratic leaders have opposed some of these policies in the 
past. Now that their opposition has helped drive gas prices to record 
levels, I ask them to reconsider their positions. If congressional 
leaders leave for the Fourth of July recess without taking action, they 
will need to explain why $4 a gallon gasoline is not enough incentive 
for them to act.
    This is a difficult time for many American families. Rising gasoline 
prices and economic

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uncertainty can affect everything from what food parents put on the 
table to where they can go on vacation. With the four steps I've laid 
out, Congress now has a clear path to begin easing the strain high gas 
prices put on your family's pocketbook. These proposals will take years 
to have their full impact, so I urge Congress to take action as soon as 
possible. Together we can meet the energy challenges we face and keep 
our economy the strongest, most vibrant, and most hopeful in the world.
    Thank you for listening.

Note: The address was recorded at 7:40 a.m. on June 20 in the Cabinet 
Room at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on June 21. The 
transcript was made available by the Office of the Press Secretary on 
June 20 but was embargoed for release until the broadcast. The Office of 
the Press Secretary also released a Spanish language transcript of this 
address.