House passes drilling bill

Democrats bow to GOP pressure on drilling, but add oil industry tax cut repeals that Republicans blast.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The House of Representatives on Tuesday approved an energy bill that could clear the way for more drilling in the United States, as the Democrats who control Congress yielded to pressure from Republicans on the issue.

But the bill, which passed 236-189, contains provisions Republicans do not like, including a repeal of tax cuts for the oil industry and a lack of incentive for states to allow drilling on their land.

"It's time for an oil change in America," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, told reporters Tuesday. She contrasted her party's plan with "the status quo, which is preferred by Big Oil" and the Bush administration, "or change for the future to take our country in a new direction."

She insisted that Republicans "must set aside their drill-only mentality."

Rep. Mike Pence, an Indiana Republican, called the Democratic bill "a charade," denying it would do what its backers claim.

"This is not 'yes' to drilling. This is 'yes, but,'" he argued.

"This is 'yes, but no drilling in Alaska, no drilling in the Eastern Gulf, no drilling inside 50 miles.' This is 'yes, but no litigation reform that will prevent radical environmental attorneys from tying up leases even before a single shovel of dirt is turned.'"

The Democratic bill would allow drilling between 50 and 100 miles offshore, as opposed to the three-mile line favored by Republicans. It would require states to give their permission for drilling on their land. It would also include incentives for renewables, require the government to release oil from its emergency reserve, and force oil companies to drill on federal lands they already lease from the government.

Democrats and Republicans traded harsh words on the House floor Tuesday in the debate over the bill.

Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y., said President Bush's "idea of an energy policy is holding hands with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, embracing him with a big smooch."

When the Republicans "controlled Congress, [they] passed their own energy bill, signed into law by the president. We got into this mess," the New York Democrat said.

But Rep. Jeb Hensarling, a Texas Republican, shot back that the Democrats' bill is a "sham" and a "fraud."

"This is a bill designed to ensure Democrats' re-election, not designed to ensure affordable energy in America," he said.

He also complained about how the bill was brought to the floor: "No amendments, no substitutes, no committee hearings. Is this democracy? No."

The Senate could vote on various energy proposals, including more offshore drilling, as early as this week.

-- The Associated Press contributed to this report.