President Bush will make an announcement on Wednesday about energy and call on Congress to pass legislation lifting a ban on offshore oil drilling, the White House said.
"With gasoline now over $4 a gallon, tomorrow he will explicitly call on Congress to also pass legislation lifting the congressional ban on safe, environmentally friendly offshore oil drilling," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said on Tuesday.
Differences over energy policy have led to a political spat between Republicans and Democrats and emerged as a key issue in the presidential campaigns ahead of the November election.
Republicans have called for ending a ban on offshore drilling that has been in place since 1981, but Democrats have repeatedly rebuffed such attempts, citing environmental concerns.
McCain calls for offshore drilling
In the race for the White House, Republican candidate John McCain supports ending the ban on offshore oil exploration and Democratic candidate Barack Obama opposes it.
Speaking in Houston on Tuesday, McCain called for lifting the federal moratorium on offshore exploration and production as part of a plan help curb U.S. dependence on foreign oil. The Arizona senator also has proposed temporarily lifting a tax on gasoline over the summer to give consumer a break from soaring fuel prices.
A spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said lifting the offshore drilling ban would have little immediate impact on the energy problem.
"The Energy Information Administration says that even if we open the coasts to oil drilling, that won't have a significant impact on prices until 2030," Reid spokesman Jim Manley said in an e-mail.
Some experts say Bush could override congressional objections through an executive order, but Perino said: "The president is not taking any executive action tomorrow."
A general call for action
Bush has visited Saudi Arabia twice this year and sought help in dealing with record-high oil prices that threaten the U.S. economy.
U.S. wholesale prices rose by a larger-than-expected 1.4 percent in May after another jump in energy prices, according to the government's producer price index report released on Tuesday.
Bush was not expected to voice support specifically for any of several bills drafted in Congress to lift the ban on offshore oil drilling, but rather will call on Congress to pass legislation to accomplish that goal, a senior administration official said on condition of anonymity.
Bush and Republican lawmakers have also been pressing for opening up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil exploration and drilling, which Democrats oppose.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California said last week that opening the wildlife refuge in Alaska would reduce U.S. gasoline prices by one penny per gallon, and she and other Democrats blame Bush's energy policies for the rise in gasoline prices.
Bush has blamed Democrats, who control Congress, for blocking efforts to increase domestic oil production.
"The president believes Congress shouldn't waste any more time," Perino said.