Top congressional Republicans Thursday called for a special session of Congress to deal with the oil crisis plaguing the country.
President Bush called on Congress Wednesday to allow offshore oil drilling, saying the need to lower crude and gas prices made it urgent.
Lawmakers are debating legislation to allow drilling for oil along the U.S. coastline, particularly in Florida and California.
The Senate, which is set to begin summer recess after this week, has been gridlocked for days on various energy bills.
Congressional Republicans said they want an open debate and accuse Democrats of trying to limit amendments to avoid a vote on offshore drilling -- an assertion the Democrats deny.
Most Republicans want to lift a 1981 ban on offshore drilling, saying it will increase domestic oil supplies. But the Democratic leadership wants to keep the ban in place, arguing that more offshore drilling will have little effect on prices and could threaten the environment.
Republicans also want to legalize drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska and allow the processing of oil shale on public lands in the West -- two actions Democrats also oppose. Oil shale is sedimentary rock with oil in it that has historically been considered too expensive to process. Several environmental risks are associated with extracting oil shale.
Rep. Mike Pence, R-Indiana, said it's not fair to Americans who "won't get a vacation from high gasoline prices so Congress shouldn't take a vacation until we vote to lessen our dependence on foreign oil."
Pence said that if House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wouldn't keep the House in session to vote, he urged the president to call an immediate special session of Congress.
