June 21 (Bloomberg) -- President George W. Bush and Democrats clashed over the administration's push to lift the ban on offshore oil and gas drilling and disagreed on whether it would lead to lower gasoline prices.

``If Congressional leaders leave for the Fourth of July recess without taking action, they will need to explain why $4- a-gallon gasoline is not enough incentive for them to act,'' Bush said today in his weekly radio address. ``Congress now has a clear path to begin easing the strain high gas prices put on your family's pocketbook.''

House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Nick Rahall, a Democrat whose district includes coal-mining areas of West Virginia, today accused the oil companies of ``stockpiling'' 68 million acres of federal oil and gas leases, about the size of Colorado, and said lifting the ban won't affect gasoline prices.

With gasoline exceeding $4 a gallon, offshore drilling has become an issue in the U.S. presidential election. Arizona Senator John McCain, 71, the presumptive Republican nominee, and Bush are pushing to lift a 27-year-old moratorium on offshore oil and gas drilling. Democrat Barack Obama, 46, an Illinois senator who is his party's presumed nominee, opposes the measure, as do environmental groups.

Oil doubled in the past year, touching a record $139.89 a barrel on June 16, as investors bought commodities to hedge against a weakening U.S. dollar and concern mounted that demand is growing faster than supply. Rising gasoline prices in the U.S. have sparked concern the economy may slip into recession.

Drilling in Refuge

Along with lifting the ban on offshore oil drilling, Bush wants Congress to allow exploration and drilling in a portion of the 19-million-acre Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska, leasing of federal lands to mine and extract oil from shale in the Green River Basin of Colorado, Wyoming and Utah, and accelerating the permit process for new refineries.

Bush, in his radio address, said Congress's lack of action on his drilling proposals is partially responsible for high gasoline prices. ``Now, Americans are paying the price at the pump for this obstruction,'' he said.

Bush and his fellow Republicans are seeking to portray Democrats as standing in the way of measures to help lower gasoline prices. Bush's move carries some risk as well, because offshore exploration has faced opposition in Florida, which will be a battleground in the presidential campaign.

Lawmakers last debated oil drilling in U.S. coastal areas in 2005 and 2006, when gasoline averaged $1.84 a gallon during the two-year period, Bloomberg data showed.

Use It or Lose It

Rahall and other Democrats are sponsoring legislation that would force the oil companies to drill on lands already leased.

``Simply put, we are telling Big Oil to use it, or lose it,'' Rahall said in the Democratic Party's weekly radio address. ``They would either have to produce from these lands, show they are being diligent in their development, or give up the right to control even more federal energy resources.''

Rahall said Democrats are planning to introduce legislation that would ``shine the light on speculators that have driven up the price of oil'' and reduce fares for mass transit.

The oil companies are able to drill in areas of the Gulf of Mexico and around Alaska. The Republican proposal would allow drilling along the entire Outer Continental Shelf, including along both the East and West coasts.

Rahall said an investigation by his committee showed that more than 80 percent of the estimated oil and gas on federal land is already available for drilling or will be in the near future, all without challenge from environmentalists.

To contact the reporter on this story: Susan Decker in Washington at sdecker1@bloomberg.net; Holly Rosenkrantz in Washington at hrosenkrantz@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: June 21, 2008 13:17 EDT