By Avery Palmer and Catharine Richert, CQ Staff

As the House passed legislation late Tuesday designed to loosen restrictions on offshore oil production, some Senate Republicans were pushing for more drilling as part of a bipartisan energy plan.

The House bill (HR 6899), which passed by a vote of 236-189, would let states open their coastal waters to offshore drilling. During a daylong debate, House Republicans called the bill a sham, and the White House threatened a veto.

Democrats touted the bill as a compromise that expands domestic production and invests in alternative energy sources. After watching Republicans gain political traction in recent weeks with calls for more offshore drilling, Democratic leaders hope the legislation will provide political cover for moderate members of their caucus in competitive districts.

The bill would allow drilling beyond 100 miles offshore and give states the option to allow production beyond 50 miles from the coasts. It includes incentives for renewable energy, building efficiency and advanced technologies for coal-fired power plants.

“I don’t know why my Republican colleagues can’t take yes for an answer,” said cosponsor Gene Green , D-Texas. “If you want to drill in our country, this is the bill.”

Republicans complained that they were shut out of the process.

“We have a responsibility to defeat this bill,” said Don Young of Alaska, ranking Republican on the Natural Resources Committee. “It was conceived in the dark. Who the father is, I do not know.”

Republicans also argued that states would not opt into drilling offshore because the bill would not give them a share of revenue from energy production. The bill would leave a 125-mile buffer off the Florida Gulf Coast intact and bar drilling in the Georges Banks fishery off New England.

“This bill purports to open access to American energy sources while in reality taking actions to stifle development,” the White House said in a statement.

House Bill’s Provisions

The bill would use new royalties to offset the cost of incentives for energy efficiency, renewable energy, and carbon capture and sequestration. It would require utilities to generate 15 percent of electricity from renewable sources by 2020.

The bill would extend tax credits for wind and solar energy and create tax breaks for coal projects that capture carbon, fueling stations for natural gas vehicles and conservation. The spending would be offset by repealing tax subsidies for oil companies.

It would also establish new ethics requirements for the Interior Department agency that oversees leasing on public lands and waters. This follows an inspector general’s report that found that some federal employees engaged in sexual misconduct and illegal drug use with oil industry workers.