September 27, 2005 9:30 AM, EDT

President Bush Calls for Conservation, May Tap SPR Again

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resident Bush called on Americans to conserve gasoline by reducing driving when possible and said he may again open the nation’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve if necessary in the wake of Hurricane Rita, news services reported.

The president made his announcement Monday getting an update from the Department of Energy on the damage the storm did to Gulf Coast oil refineries and rigs, the Associated Press reported.

Bush said the storm’s effect on oil refineries could make it difficult to get gasoline to market.

Some refineries near the Texas-Louisiana border where Rita struck may be shut for a month, Bloomberg reported.

The president and Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman said they would propose measures to streamline the approval process for new refineries or expansions of existing facilities, Bloomberg said.

The U.S. has not built a new refinery in 30 years, because of environmental and regulatory hurdles.

The Energy Department had authorized the SPR to be drawn down in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in late August.

(Click here for previous coverage.)