More than a decade earlier, President Carter's presidency was harmed by gas shortages. In 1973, the group of Middle Eastern oil producers called OPEC raised its prices 130 percent and refused to sell to the U.S. as punishment for supporting Israel in a war in the Middle East. Americans had to stand in line for hours, just to fill the tank. Lifestyle or environment President Bush's plan to increase drilling and refining worries many environmentalists. Building thousands of miles of pipelines could damage wilderness areas.
Oil refineries release pollution that can cause global warming and increase illnesses like asthma.
When Bill Clinton was president, he issued new regulations designed to protect the environment. These rules set limits for where people could drill for oil and gas and build power plants and pipelines. President Bush says the Clinton regulations are slowing down oil production and ought to be changed. Currently, the United States consumes 19.6 million barrels of oil per day,which is more than 25 percent of the world's total. Giant gas-guzzling SUVs have pushed the nation's fuel consumption to an all time high in recent years.