Bush tells Congress to 'step up' on energy

WASHINGTON, Sept. 2 (UPI) -- . President George Bush slammed the U.S. Congress Tuesday, saying members must understand "we need more domestic energy, not less".

"I know the Congress has been on recess for a while, but this issue hasn't gone away," Bush said before being briefed on the situation following Hurricane Gustav. "And this storm should not cause the members of Congress to say, well, we don't need to address our energy independence; it ought to cause the Congress to step up their need to address our dependence on foreign oil."

When members of Congress return to Washington after their recess, "they've got to understand that we need more domestic energy, not less," Bush said, "and the one place to find it is offshore America, lands that have been off the books, so to speak, by congressional law."

Bush and others, including all-but-certain GOP presidential candidate Sen. John McCain of Arizona, have advocated Outer Continental Shelf oil exploration. Opening the environmentally sensitive area to exploration involves both congressional and presidential approval. Bush removed the presidential restriction and has called on Congress to lift its ban also.

"(Now) they need to give us a chance to find more oil and gas here at home," Bush said.