WASHINGTON - President Bush said today he’s done everything in his power to get at oil lying undersea off America’s shorelines.

He signed a moratorium today removing the executive branch’s restrictions on drilling in the Outer Continental Shelf. A congressional moratorium remains in place.

He blamed the “Democratically contolled Congress” for the recent rise in gas prices and said it should prove now it wants to help struggling families.

“The only thing standing between the American people and these vast oil resources is Congress,” Bush said in a Rose Garden appearance at the White House.

He called on Congress to lift its moratorium and produce legislation that gives states a say in what happens off their shores, that protects the environment and lets states share in revenues from oil companies.

He said resources in the Outer Continental Shelf could produce 10 years’ worth of oil for the country.

He also called on Congress to drill in current restricted areas in northern Alaska and to increase the United States’ domestic refinery abilities.

“The time for action is now,” he said. “Today, I’ve done everything in my power.” Bush’s move is a significant step toward a policy that could plant oil or natural gas drilling rigs off the coast of North Carolina.

Another significant step has yet to be taken though.

Congress also must release its ban on drilling in the Outer Continental Shelf. The bans had long seemed solid because of opposition from Democrats, environmental groups and coastal politicians – all of whom have said the environmental risks weren’t worth the oil that could be gained.

But with gas prices at record levels and polls showing most Americans favor looking for oil along the coastlines, there could be increasing political pressure for Congress to act.

Already in North Carolina, Sen. Elizabeth Dole and Reps. Mike McIntyre and Walter Jones, both of whom represent coastal counties, have switched their positions.

All now support offshore drilling with the state’s approval. Dole and Jones are Republicans. McIntyre is a Democrat.

Offshore drilling will offer no quick fix for energy prices. Experts say oil would be garnered for at least eight to 10 years.

Bush called for drilling offshore four weeks ago in a White House news conference about energy. But he declined at the time to lift the presidential ban, saying Congress should act first.

Congress has been wrestling with the idea of offshore drilling for several years but has consistently been unable to get proposals approved.

A deal in 2006 allowed for new drilling leases in parts of the Gulf of Mexico, but kept new leases out of waters closest to Florida’s western shores and through the rest of the Outer Continental Shelf.

A current proposal pushed by Republican leaders would let states decide on a case-by-case basis whether to allow drilling in federal waters at least 50 miles offshore.

States would in turn receive a cut of the revenues from oil and natural gas companies.

N.C. Gov. Mike Easley has said he opposes offshore drilling, but this is his last year in office.

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