White House opposes OPEC production cut

The White House said Wednesday that it is opposed to OPECs decision to cut oil production, and the administration used the news to again prod Congress into expanding domestic oil exploration.

White House press secretary Dana Perino said Wednesday that OPEC's decision to cut production by more than 500,000 barrels a day is yet another reason why the Democratic-controlled Congress should open up the Outer Continental Shelf and relax licensing requirements to extract oil shale.

{mosads}“We would like to see more oil on the market, not less,” Perino said. “And that's exactly why President Bush has called on Congress, as they come back into session now after being away for a month, to take this opportunity to have an up-or-down vote on expanding responsible and environmentally friendly exploration here in our country.”

Perino said that one way to avoid the country being at the whim of OPEC is “to have more supply that we'd produce here.”

“They have some legislation that's in front of them that would be comprehensive,” Perino said. “It wouldn't just be about offshore oil drilling, but also look to oil shale, as well as more renewables and alternatives.”

Bush has taken two trips to the Middle East this year to encourage OPEC to increase production in light of record-high oil prices, not reduce it.

Perino said that Bush is now more focused on getting Congress to act instead of asking again that OPEC increase production.

“What President Bush is going to be focused on in the next three weeks is working with Congress in a bipartisan way, to the extent that we possibly can, to try to get a bill that would allow for more expanded production here in our own country,” Perino said.

A barrel of oil cost about $102 Wednesday.