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DANBURY - Responding to President George Bush's announcement that the executive ban on offshore drilling will be lifted, state Sen. David Cappiello, R-24th District, urged Congress Monday to lift its own barrier to oil and gas exploration on the Outer Continental Shelf.

"Republican, Democrat or Independent, high energy prices do not discriminate in sucking the life out of family budgets, job-creating businesses and the economy as a whole," Cappiello said. "The administration has finally taken a step in the right direction for American consumers by moving to lift the ban on offshore oil and gas drilling."

Cappiello said the burden is now squarely on Democratic Congressman Chris Murphy and his colleagues "to put partisanship aside and do right by our economic and national security in lifting the final legislative barrier to producing America's energy here in America."

Murphy's Republican opponent in the Fifth District said the congressman opposes lifting the offshore drilling ban, despite record high gasoline and home heating oil costs.

"It's unthinkable to me that Congressman Murphy can look his beleaguered constituents in the eyes and say 'no' to a common-sense measure that will decrease our dependence on foreign oil," said Cappiello. "Pointing fingers and hiding behind misleading talking points about unused oil leases will not produce one bit of relief for the people Murphy was elected to represent."

Cappiello added that taking "responsible action to utilize our own energy reserves will, however, reverse decades of failed policy that has kept the U.S. addicted to costly foreign oil and no real energy reform." The state senator urged Congress to start saying "yes" to energy independence and security.

Kristen Bossi, Murphy's communications director, took issue with Cappiello's views.

"President Bush has had no plan to lower gas prices that hasn't been suggested to him by the oil companies," Bossi said. "Chris has been talking about what to do about high gas prices with people all over the Fifth District, and he understands that drilling domestically is a part of the solution - that's why he is pushing for oil companies to drill on the 68 million acres of untapped land under their control."

Bossi said prices have gone up in recent months largely because of Wall Street speculation.

"The economics of supply and demand can't explain a $1.30 a gallon price increase in the last year alone," she said. "That's why Chris is focused on immediate changes in the commodity markets to bring down the price of oil by 20 to 30 percent. And, Chris will continue to push the Bush administration to release the oil in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to lower prices. Chris' goal is to set us on a new path toward energy independence, not to just follow the same old policies of the last eight years."

U.S. Rep. John Larson, D-1st District, vice chairman of the Democratic Caucus, also weighed in on President Bush's announcement about lifting the offshore drilling ban.

"What the President did today is nothing but an empty gesture that will do nothing to lower the price of oil," Larson said. "Now is not a time for gestures; it's a time for action. The American people are hurting under seven years of Bush energy policy. They need results."

Larson urged the president to do what Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Democratic House leadership have called on him to do.

"He should release some oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Right now, President Bush is sitting on 700 million barrels of taxpayer's oil. Infusing just a small portion of that into the market will go a long way to lower gas prices now," he said.

Larson insisted Democrats are not opposed to drilling.

"We think the oil companies should drill on the 68 million acres of land available to them," he said. "Over 80 percent of the oil and gas resources on federal lands and the Outer Continental Shelf are currently open for development. Why aren't they drilling there?"

Adam Bauer, Cappiello's communications director, had an answer.

"Nothing's being developed there because there's no oil there," he said. "If [Democrats] want to hide behind this fallacy, they're going to have a lot of explaining to do as we continue to pay the prices at the pump. They are trying to write energy policy based on a myth."

Scott Whipple can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or by calling (860) 225-4601, ext. 319.