From PRI, Public Radio International and KCRW Santa Monica, this is To the Point.

Energy cost, the environment, and the presidential campaign.

Hello again, I'm a woman I'm on the end. This is To the Point from Public Radio International.

A daily look at the issues Americans care about most. Responding to rising gasoline prices, President Bush and candidate McCain are calling on

Congress to end the moratorium on drilling for oil offshore. Oil companies concede nobody knows

how much is available, how long it would take to produce, or what the impact on prices might be.

On to the Point,

has rage over fuel costs reached a tipping point, or is McCain making a risky political bet?

What about the environment, global warming, and the effort to get America off the oil economy?

On reporter's notebook later on, Obama does an about-face on public campaign funding. First, here's the news.

Support for To the Point comes from subscribers of KCRW Santa Monica and from the Public Radio International Program Fund, whose contributors include the Ford Foundation and the John D. and

Catherine T. McArthur Foundation. Hello again. Mormon-Aulney, back with To the Point. John McCain has

reversed himself on offshore oil drilling. President Bush has joined McCain's call for ending the

nationwide moratorium. On To the Point, would that help bring gasoline prices down? What would

it mean for the environment? With energy costs skyrocketing, is it good politics? On reporter's notebook, Barack Obama reverses himself and says no to public money for his campaign. First, this news update. President Bush flew to Iowa today, one of six states where floods have forced tens of thousands of people out of their homes. Mindful of the federal fiasco after Hurricane Katrina, Mr. Bush says he will ask state and

local officials what they need and make sure that they get it. Kamiar and Shyan is a city council

member in Cedar Falls, Iowa. He also directs the Center for Energy and Environmental Education

at the University of Northern Iowa. Professor and Councilman, thank you very much for joining us today.

Glad to be with you.

Cedar Falls, as we know from many reports on our program over the past week or so, very, very

seriously hit. What do you need from the federal government?

Well, right now, actually, FEMA officials are in Cedar Falls Falls and the portion of the city that was affected.

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