In Easing Offshore Drilling Ban, House Also Expands Energy
Exploration Onshore  The measure would reverse ban on oil shale
development and extend credits for renewable energy.   The House
of Representatives took a small step last night toward expanding
domestic offshore oil drilling, and so far most of the rhetoric
coming out of the fractious chamber has focused on whether the
move goes far enough in the face of high gas prices.  But the
House bill isn't just about offshore drilling. Indeed, other
parts of the energy bill could prove just as—if not
more—important to the country's energy future.  The bill, which
passed 236 to 189 over strong Republican opposition, would, for
example, remove long-standing restrictions on another potential
source of domestic oil: oil shale, which is concentrated in
Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming. According to the Interior
Department, those areas contain an estimated 800 billion barrels
of recoverable oil—nearly 40 times as much oil as the estimated
amount that's currently off-limit