In marathon session, House OKs energy bill

Nancy Pelosi said the Democrats are keeping a promise.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The House wrapped up the Democrats' "100 Hours" legislative sprint Thursday with time to spare, voting to recoup billions of dollars in lost royalties from oil and gas companies and roll back industry tax breaks.
The energy bill capped a two-week drumbeat of votes on legislation that, while popular with voters last fall, awaits a sketchy fate in the Senate.
The House bill, approved 264-123, sets a conservation fee on oil and gas from the Gulf of Mexico, attempts to recoup royalties lost because of a government error in drilling leases in the late 1990s, and rolls back several oil industry tax breaks.
"In the November election, the American people signaled their wish for change -- a wish for our country to go in a new direction," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. "Democrats promised that we would, and these past two weeks, we have delivered on our promise."
Democrats accomplished their early legislative goals in 87 hours, adopting new ethics rules and passing bills raising the minimum wage, expanding taxpayer financed research into embryonic stem cells, forcing more homeland security measures, directing the federal government to negotiate for cheaper Medicare prescription drugs and lowering interest rates on subsidized student loans.
Democrats pushed the legislation through swiftly, denying Republicans any opportunity to amend bills, and established themselves as the vanguard for the Democratic agenda. But internal friction within both parties, the potential for partisan gridlock in the Senate and confrontation with the White House over the war in Iraq signal less, not more, legislative production in the weeks ahead.
Partisan web
In the Senate, Democrats and Republicans struggled Thursday to untangle a partisan knot that threatened to sink ethics legislation. The episode illustrated how hampered Senate Democrats are to impose their will with their razor-thin majority.
The past two weeks also took the glow off the cooperative tone both parties set in the opening day of the new Congress. House Republicans complained bitterly about being denied amendments on the legislation, an echo of Democratic complaints during the 12 years of Republican dominance.
"We are short-circuiting democracy here, and I think my colleagues on both sides of the aisle understand it," said House Republican leader John Boehner, R-Ohio. "I'm here today to ask my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to live up to the promises that were made, to live up to the desire to be treated fairly."
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