Bush not planning to tap oil reserve

COLUMBUS, Ohio — President Bush said Wednesday that high gasoline and oil prices are "legitimate concerns" for Americans, and the answer is a long-range energy plan that includes drilling in an Arctic wildlife refuge.

Bush gave his energy pitch in Ohio, where consumers have been battling high winter heating bills and gasoline prices of over $2 a gallon. Even higher prices are expected nationwide in the upcoming summer driving season.

"Higher prices at the gas pump and rising home heating bills and the possibilities of blackouts are legitimate concerns for all Americans," Bush told a crowd of supporters in the auditorium at the Franklin County Veterans Memorial here.

Ohio was at the center of a massive power blackout nearly two years ago, but broadly-supported proposals to increase grid reliability have been tangled up in the debate over wider energy legislation in Congress.

"We've had four years of debate on a national energy bill. Now is the time to get the job done," said Bush.

While acknowledging that high energy costs are hurting Americans and "are a drag on our economy," Bush offered little that would have any short-term impact on prices.

During the flight from Washington, White House spokesman Scott McClellan reiterated the administration's opposition to using the government's emergency oil reserves to try to dampen oil prices.

The more than 600 million barrels of crude in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve — a system of underground caverns on the Gulf coast — should be kept for supply emergencies, said McClellan.

"We do not believe it should be tapped for political purposes or to manipulate prices," he said. But he added that if supply disruptions occur, "We would not hesitate to act."

In Washington, a group of Democrats said Bush should release Strategic Petroleum Reserve oil in a swap that would guarantee that the crude will be replaced when prices decline.

Prices "are as high as they can be and they're getting higher," said Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., "What are they doing at the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue? Twiddling their thumbs."

Schumer also urged Bush to pressure OPEC to boost supplies, saying, "We're giving OPEC the green light to raise prices further and further and further."