White House Press Secretary Dana Perino answers questions, Wednesday, July 23, 2008, during her daily briefing at the White House in Washington.
Dana Perino: Hello, everyone. I'll start off with two announcements. As you all know, there's a hurricane brewing in -- off the Gulf, actually hitting land now. The federal government has been working closely with the state of Texas to prepare for the hurricane called Dolly. We've been identifying resources and pre-positioning supplies in case they are needed after the landfall. And FEMA has deployed a couple of teams there and will have more information for you if you need it.Also today, in an effort to address the root causes of high energy prices, House Republicans are introducing their American Energy Act. Their proposal includes many of the provisions the President called on Congress to act upon, including opening up access to our energy resources in the Outer Continental Shelf, up in ANWR, allowing development of oil shale resources, and streamlining permitting processes for refineries. …
Backers of this legislation clearly understand that we need to increase domestic fuel supply with appropriate safeguards for the environment. We hope Democratic leaders will recognize this critical need, and stop standing between the American people and the vast energy resources we have at home. And I would note that the Republicans called for a vote before they leave for their August 10th beginning of their recess.