Energy Bill Includes $2 Billion Incentive for Gulf Drilling

Backers of energy legislation that the House plans to take up Wednesday like to emphasize its potential benefits for consumers. It has substantial rewards for energy producers as well.

A little-noted provision backed by Representative Tom DeLay of Texas, the majority leader and an ally of the oil industry, would bypass Congress’s normal spending process to funnel up to $2 billion over 10 years into research for recovering oil and gas from the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico.