In Gustav's Wake, Bush Touts Drilling

Congress Pressed to Open Coastal Areas

President Bush said yesterday that the relatively little damage suffered by oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico because of Hurricane Gustav should prod Congress to open more coastal areas to offshore oil drilling, sounding a political note in the wake of the storm.

Bush, who plans to travel to Louisiana today, said there were "encouraging signs" that Gustav did not cause significant harm to the oil fields along the Gulf Coast. But he said the storm's impact on oil supplies and energy markets underscores the need for expanded offshore exploration.

"When Congress comes back, they've got to understand that we need more domestic energy, not less," Bush said before a morning meeting with senior aides to assess Gustav's damage to energy supplies. "One place to find it is offshore America, lands that have been taken off the books, so to speak, by congressional law."

Bush linked Hurricane Gustav to the long-running political debate two days after canceling a scheduled appearance at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn., because of the storm. The president has been urging Congress for weeks to lift a legislative ban on offshore oil drilling, following his move in July that rescinded a prohibition implemented by his father, President George H.W. Bush.

The drilling issue has also become a major point of contention in the presidential campaign. The Republican candidate, Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), has endorsed offshore drilling as a key solution to rising energy prices, while Democratic nominee Sen. Barack Obama (lll.) has cast it as an idea that should be pursued only if it is politically necessary to gain congressional approval of alternative energy policies.

"The president wasn't trying to be overly political; he was stating a fact," White House press secretary Dana Perino said.

Energy Secretary Samuel W. Bodman said that initial flights showed no visible damage to 3,842 oil and gas production platforms along the Gulf Coast and that he expected quick restoration of production. He also said authorities saw no signs that rigs were set adrift, dragging anchors that could damage pipelines on the sea bed, as occurred during Hurricane Katrina three years ago.

"At this point we believe there's little damage that has been caused, and within two weeks we can see us approach that 100 percent production level," Bodman said.

Later yesterday, in a speech broadcast by satellite to the Republican convention, Bush said he was relieved that the damage from Gustav did not approach the destruction from Katrina.

"We are thankful that the damage in New Orleans and across the Gulf Coast was less than many had feared," Bush said in his prepared remarks.

Staff writer Spencer S. Hsu contributed to this report.