Bush Ignores Options to Help Lower Gas Prices in the Short Term, Says Sen. Menendez

Press Release

BUSH IGNORES OPTIONS TO HELP LOWER GAS PRICES IN THE SHORT TERM, SAYS SEN. MENENDEZ

In press conference today, Bush dismisses short-term measures, harps on coastline drilling plan that will never lower gas prices

In a press conference today, President Bush dismissed measures to help lower gas prices in the short term, including a crackdown on unchecked oil speculation and diverting oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to the marketplace. Instead, the president continued to tout a plan to drill up and down the U.S. coastlines, which wouldn't produce a drop of oil until 2017 and would never produce enough oil to make a difference for gas prices.

U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ), a leading defender of the coastline and author of the COAST Act to permanently ban drilling in the Outer Continental Shelf, responded to President Bush's remarks.

"Americans are looking for something - anything - from Washington to give them some short-term relief from gas prices that are squeezing their family budgets. President Bush says ‘no, no, no' to short-term options that could help lower gas prices. It has become crystal clear that he is not willing to do what it takes to bring relief to families feeling pain at the pump right now. He would have American families wait until the year 2017 for the first drop of oil as part of a plan that will never lower gas prices.

"There are some good options on the table to help lower gas prices soon, including cracking down on unchecked speculation in the oil markets and diverting oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve into the marketplace. To ignore these options altogether is a disservice to Americans who are increasingly being put in the tough position of choosing between buying a gallon of gas or a gallon of milk.

"The motives of the Bush-McCain coastline drilling plan become more transparent by the day. They think they can pull a fast one on Americans hurt by high gas prices, give a handout to their buddies in the oil companies and divert attention from the crisis in the financial markets all at once. There's no substance to their plan, and it provides no hope of gas price relief."

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