Republican buoyed by calls for energy exploration

By Thomas Ferraro

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A top U.S. Republican cited on Monday a surge in support among liberals for increased energy exploration as a reason why the Democratic-led Congress may act soon to allow expanded drilling in the United States.

President George W. Bush and many Republicans in Congress support opening up drilling as a way of taming high gasoline prices, which have hit a record $4.11 a gallon. Democrats in Congress, however, have been looking at controlling oil speculation as well advocating greater conservation.

"There's clearly a dramatic shift across the ideological divide in America in favor of producing more energy here at home," Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters.

"I can't imagine that the majority (Democrats in Congress) is going to ignore that indefinitely," McConnell added.

He cited a poll released on July 1 by the Pew Research Center that found that 45 percent of respondents who identify themselves as "liberals" said they favor expanded energy exploration, mining, drilling, building more power plants. In February, the figure was just 22 percent.

McConnell and his fellow Republicans have pushed for years for increased U.S. energy production, particularly by opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska to oil drilling.

But they have been stopped by Democrats and liberal activists who fear such drilling in Alaska and off the U.S. shore would threaten the environment.

With polls showing rising gas prices a top concern this election year, McConnell sought to rally support for a Republican bill in the Senate that would seek to increase production as well as conservation.

McConnell said 44 of the 49 Republicans in the 100-member Senate back the bill, and is hopeful many of the 49 Democrats and two Democratic-leaning independents will embrace it.

"We actually need to pass something here," McConnell said of the Senate, which has been tied in knots much of the year on energy and other issues.

McConnell said he was encouraged by an exchange he and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid had in the chamber earlier in the day on the need to confront rising gas prices.

"We're open to any reasonable approach," Reid said. But the Nevada Democrat added, "let's also not forget that the oil industry already leases 68 million acres in America" that it isn't drilling on.

McConnell said skyrocketing gas prices "should be the number one issue for the Senate." McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, added, "Americans are hurting."

(Editing by Russell Blinch and Marguerita Choy)