REAGAN SAYS U.S. NEEDS TO LESSEN OIL IMPORTS President Reagan said the United States must do more to lessen its reliance on imported oil. President Reagan said during a nationally televised news conference that the rising U.S. reliance on foreign oil is a problem that the administration is studying. "We have to study this more," Reagan said. "This is why we increased the Strategic (Petroleum) Reserve, but we have to do more," he said. Reagan said his administration has already proposed deregulating natural gas and eliminating the windfall profits tax on crude oil production. However, he complained that Congress had not yet approved those measures. The Department of Energy earlier this week released a report that warned of rising U.S. reliance on foreign oil imports at a time when domestic production is declining. It suggested options for the administration to consider, but made no specific recommendations.