[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 44, Number 28 (Monday, July 21, 2008)]
[Pages 981-982]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

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The President's Radio Address

July 12, 2008

    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.
    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 10 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 redtape 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.

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    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.

Note: The address was recorded at 7:10 a.m. on July 11 in the Cabinet 
Room at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on July 12. The 
transcript was made available by the Office of the Press Secretary on 
July 11 but was embargoed for release until the broadcast. The Office of 
the Press Secretary also released a Spanish language transcript of this 
address.