SAN ANTONIO—U.S. Republican presidential candidate John McCain will call Tuesday for energy conservation and the lifting of a ban on U.S. oil and natural gas exploration to help address the nation's "dangerous" dependence on foreign oil.
Rising oil and gasoline prices have put energy concerns at the center of the contest between McCain and presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama to succeed President Bush in the November election.
McCain has proposed temporarily lifting a tax on gasoline over the summer, but other than that, neither candidate has a quick fix for bringing fuel prices down.
McCain says energy prices will continue to rise, according to the text of the speech he was set to give later Tuesday.
"Various oil ministers and investment firms have confidently informed us that soon we can expect to pay $200 for every barrel, and as much as $7 for every gallon of gas," he will say.
McCain has previously said he would break with Bush and previous administrations over energy and will promise to outline how he would put the country on a path toward energy independence in the coming weeks.
One component will be efficiency. Cutting back on energy usage -- a key strategy of Europe's efforts to fight global warming—was critical in the United States, McCain will say.
"In the face of climate change and other serious challenges, energy conservation is no longer just a moral luxury or a personal virtue," he will say. "Conservation serves a critical national goal."
Lift Drilling Moratorium
McCain describes U.S. energy security as a "dangerous situation" in the speech and calls for a reform of laws and regulations that govern the oil futures markets to make the rules more effective.
In a proposal that critics say clashes with his environmental credentials, McCain says the United States should tap some 21 billion barrels of proven oil reserves which are left untouched because of a federal moratorium on exploration and production.
"I believe it is time for the federal government to lift these restrictions and to put our own reserves to use," he will say. "We can do this in ways that are consistent with sensible standards of environmental protection."
Democrats slammed the Arizona senator, who has sought to distance himself from Bush on environmental issues, for calling for further drilling.
"This is yet another clear indication that on energy policies Senator McCain does not provide a break with President Bush, even though he has claimed repeatedly he does," the Democratic National Committee said in a statement.
McCain has sought to differentiate himself with Bush by pushing a plan to fight global warming. On Tuesday his campaign released a television ad saying McCain "stood up" to the president on climate change.
Obama has also made energy policy and the fight against global warming a key part of his campaign, criticizing the proposal on gas taxes as ineffective and saying his plan to cut emissions is more aggressive than McCain's.
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