President Bush Lifts Offshore Drilling Ban, Crude Drops $6.00 a Barrel

The White House announced today that President Bush will lift an executive order banning offshore oil drilling, a move aimed at stepping up pressure on Congress to end the prohibition it imposed in 1981.

Bush "has decided to lift the executive ban on oil exploration in America's Outer Continental Shelf," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino told a news briefing. She said Bush would explain the move in a Rose Garden statement at 1:30 p.m..

Perino acknowledged that the president's action by itself will not allow more oil drilling. Instead, she said, Bush hopes to prompt Congress to act on his call last month to lift its moratorium.

In a speech at the White House June 18, Bush urged lawmakers to lift a 27-year-old ban on drilling for oil and gas on the outer continental shelf, arguing that the country needs more domestic energy production to help reduce dependence on foreign oil and ease upward pressure on gasoline prices.