Carney: Obama ‘fully appreciates’ impact of rising gas prices

President Obama “fully appreciates” the impact of rising gas prices and is trying to ease the price crunch with expanded oil-and-gas production, the White House said Wednesday.

In a briefing with reporters, White House press secretary Jay Carney said Obama is “very aware of the impact [higher prices have] ... and the anxiety [they create].”

Carney said domestic oil production has increased during Obama’s time in the White House, and argued there are outside factors that are contributing to the price spike.

“Every year, since he’s been president, we’ve decreased our reliance on foreign oil imports,” Carney said.

Republicans have seized on higher gas prices to attack Obama, arguing that his administration is standing in the way of expanded energy development. House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said gas prices “have more than doubled since the president took office,” and presidential contender Rick Santorum blamed Obama’s “radical environmentalist policies” for the trend. 

Carney said Obama has taken “significant action” to expand oil-and-natural-gas exploration while trying to develop a “comprehensive” energy policy for the country. He said Obama’s approach has been to achieve energy policy “responsibly,” and that drilling alone will not fix the problem.

The White House spokesman said Obama’s “all of the above” approach will “build a foundation for energy security in the future so that we are not as vulnerable to the kinds of price shocks that we get when oil climbs as it is now.”

Obama will speak about the approach Thursday during a visit to Miami.

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