GOP Leaders Win on Energy Bill

"You see him. You recognize him," Hoyer shouted, finally allowing Bradley to switch and momentarily give the opponents the upper hand. Then Gilchrest changed sides, and the vote was gaveled shut.

"The Democratic leadership wanted to embarrass Republicans politically instead of helping the energy needs of the Gulf Coast," said Ron Bonjean, a spokesman for House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.).

Democrats were not about to let the political opportunity slip by.

"A vote that was supposed to take five minutes took more than nine times that long because the indicted Republican leader of the House of Representatives needed extra time to twist the arms necessary to pass a bill that is against the interests of the American people, against consumers, against taxpayers and against the environment," said Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).

After hurricanes Katrina and Rita, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Joe Barton (R-Tex.) had hastily put the refinery legislation together without a hearing. Katrina and Rita knocked out much of the country's refining capacity, hampering production of gasoline and other oil products. Even before the hurricanes, supplies were tight and the ability to produce gasoline was not keeping pace with demand. The storms have elevated the price of gasoline. On the eve of the vote, Barton agreed to strip out a portion of the bill dealing with the Clean Air Act that had created the most controversy. The measure would have significantly altered the Clean Air Act by weakening some rules on pollution controls.

Environmentalists were most galled by Gilchrest's decisive vote. Half an hour before the vote, Gilchrest assured Friends of the Earth legislative director Sara Zdeb that he would oppose the bill.

"He went back on his word and was the defining vote to put it over the edge," Zdeb said.

Gilchrest aides declined to comment. The bill passed two months after President Bush signed legislation that supporters said would help expand domestic supplies. In a statement yesterday, Bush praised the House legislation.

Republicans highlighted parts of the bill designed to appeal most to constituents unhappy about high gas prices. The bill outlaws price gouging and calls on the Federal Trade Commission to set a definition. Democrats said the measure would do little and was designed to make the bill more palatable to constituents.

The bill could cost as much as $3.5 billion through 2015, according to a Congressional Budget Office estimate. But Congress would have to agree to spend the money in separate votes.

Staff writer Juliet Eilperin contributed to this report.