"The stakes are high for our citizens and for our economy, and with gasoline running at more than four bucks a gallon, many do not have the luxury of waiting on the far-off plans of futurists and politicians," John McCain will say Tuesday in Houston, Texas, according to excerpts of his speech released by his campaign.
"We have proven oil reserves of at least 21 billion barrels in the United States. But a broad federal moratorium stands in the way of energy exploration and production. And I believe it is time for the federal government to lift these restrictions and to put our own reserves to use."
Bullet Points:
*McCain wants states to be able to decide about exploring offshore drilling
*Current law bans drilling in most of the United States' coastal waters
*McCain would consider incentives for states that allow coastal exploration
*Obama calls McCain's stance "short-term political posturing"
Gasbagism continued:
Bush urges Congress to open up offshore drilling
updates:
Democrats reject Bush's call to lift ban on offshore oil drilling
Congress takes aim at oil speculators