Bush to urge lifting of ban on offshore drilling

By Tabassum Zakaria

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush on Wednesday will call on Congress to pass legislation lifting a ban on offshore oil drilling as he seeks remedies to record-high energy prices, 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 how to deal with soaring gasoline prices has emerged as a major issue in the presidential campaigns before 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.

In the race for the White House, Republican John McCain supports ending the ban on offshore oil exploration and Democrat Barack Obama opposes it.

In Houston on Tuesday, McCain called for lifting the federal moratorium on offshore exploration and production as part of a plan to 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 consumers a break from soaring fuel prices.

A spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat, 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.