He also asked Americans and federal workers to cut back on unnecessary travel to make up for fuel shortages caused by Hurricane Rita.

"If it makes sense for the citizen out there to curtail nonessential travel, it darn sure makes sense for federal employees," Bush said. "We can encourage employees to car pool or use mass transit, and we can shift peak electricity use to off-peak hours. There's ways for the federal government to lead when it comes to conservation."

The White House also will be looking at ways to conserve, press secretary Scott McClellan said, although that didn't include curtailing the president's travel plans. Tuesday marked the president's seventh trip to the Gulf Coast in the aftermath of two devastating hurricanes in less than a month.

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McClellan wouldn't say whether the president was considering shortening his motorcade, which typically has well over a dozen vehicles, including several gas-guzzling vans, SUVs, Bush's limousine and an identical limo put in as a decoy.

The fuel consumption is even higher on Bush's cross-country travels, which include flights on Air Force One as well as movements by a group of helicopters for the president, his staff, Secret Service agents and press that accompany him wherever he goes. The Air Force recently estimated fuel costs for Air Force One have risen to $6,029 per hour, up from $3,974 an hour in the last budget year.