布什再促国会授权多开采国内石油

为了解决创记录的高油价问题，美国总统布什再次敦促国会授权扩大对国内储藏的石油的开采。布什是在内阁会议后作出上述表示的。

Despite a dip in global oil prices during the past week, Americans are paying more than twice as much for gasoline as they did just a few years ago.

尽管过去一个星期以来，世界石油价格有所下降，但是，与几年前相比，美国人支付的汽油价格还是超出了两倍多。

President Bush says the price spike is the result of basic economic forces: global demand for oil that is growing faster than the supply.

布什总统说，石油价格上涨是最基本的供求关系造成的，那就是，全球石油的需求增长快于供应。

Speaking from the Rose Garden, Mr. Bush said there is a clear solution.

布什在白宫玫瑰园说，解决办法很明确。

"To reduce pressure on prices, we need to increase the supply of oil - especially here at home," said President Bush.

布什总统说：“为了缓解价格压力， 我们必须增加石油的供应， 尤其是国内的供应。”

For weeks, the president has urged the Democrat-controlled Congress to rescind a ban on new off-shore drilling, which he says could provide as much as 10 years worth of oil at current U.S. consumption levels.

几个星期以来，总统一直在敦促民主党控制的国会取消对新的开采近海石油的禁令。布什说，以目前的石油消费水平，新增加的近海油田可以提供将近10年的石油供应。

"The time for action is now," said Mr. Bush. "This is a difficult period for millions of American families. Every extra dollar they have to spend because of high gas prices is one less dollar they can use to put food on the table, pay the rent or meet [pay] their mortgages. The American people are rightly frustrated by the failure of Democratic leaders in Congress to enact common-sense solutions like the development of oil resources on the outer-continental shelf."

他说：“现在是采取行动的时候了。对数百万美国家庭来说，现在是困难时期。他们为高昂的汽油价格每多支付一美元，就意味着为食物，房租或是房贷少支付一美元。美国人对国会民主党领袖感到失望是可以理解的。民主党人没能找到通过开发大陆架石油资源等常识性的解决办法。”

Democratic congressional leaders point out that, according to petroleum experts, it would take a decade or more before new oil exploration yielded significant supplies of crude, and that the actual impact on gasoline prices would likely be marginal.

民主党国会领导人指出，根据石油专家的意见，需要10年或是更多的时间才能使得新的石油开采能够供应充足的原油。即便成功，对汽油价格的实际影响很可能也是微乎其微。

Instead, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has urged the administration to tap into America's stockpile of emergency fuel, known as the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, while focusing on conservation and alternative sources of energy.

相反，众议院议长南希．佩罗西敦促布什政府动用美国储存的紧急石油储备，既战略储备油。同时集中精力找到节约用油的办法和替代能源。

President Bush says draining the emergency stockpile makes no sense when new sources of oil can be exploited at home. Mr. Bush has also endorsed higher fuel efficiency standards for automobiles and greater investment in alternative energy.

布什总统说，在国内有新的石油资源可以利用时，动用战略储备石油毫无道理。布什还支持提高机动车辆的燃油效率标准，并加大对替代能源的投资。

Polls show Americans rate economic issues, including high energy prices, as their top concerns.

民意测验显示，美国人认为经济问题，包括高昂的油价，是他们最担心的问题之一。