WASHINGTON, June 21 (UPI) -- Drilling for oil on federal lands will not bring significant gasoline price relief, U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall said Saturday.
The West Virginia Democrat said during his party's weekly radio address that President George Bush's call for domestic oil drilling is not an acceptable solution to the nation's energy problems, a Democratic National Committee transcript of his speech said.
"This week, President Bush and his Republicans allies rallied behind the oil industry's political agenda once again, and advocated opening more of America's federal land, including coastal areas, to drilling," Rahall said.
"This proposal will not bring the type of relief Americans deserve at the pump."
Rahall said House Democrats are creating a bill that would force major oil companies to use their 68 million acres of federal oil and gas leases to help lower the cost of gasoline.
"Simply put, we are telling Big Oil to use it, or lose it," he said of the lands, which the congressman said may hold 4.8 million barrels of oil.
