WASHINGTON — In a possible breakthrough on energy, a bipartisan group of senators unveiled a compromise Friday that would preserve the oil-drilling ban off the West Coast while easing restrictions on exploration off the East Coast and in the Gulf of Mexico.
The proposal also would provide billions to greatly expand the availability of vehicles powered by alternative fuels.
In unveiling the ambitious plan, the senators -- five Democrats and five Republicans who call themselves the Gang of 10 -- hope to break a partisan standoff that sent lawmakers home on their monthlong summer recess Friday without action on major legislation to address high gasoline prices.
But the proposal's pros pects appear remote this election year, with time running out on the congressional session and the parties highlighting their differences on energy.
And a number of the proposals remain controversial -- expanding drilling off Florida, reviving the nuclear industry, boosting efforts to convert coal into fuel for motor vehicles.
At home, lawmakers are likely to hear from voters about canceled vacations and tighter family budgets because of high gas prices.
When Congress returns to Washington in September, "we hope that colleagues will have heard from their constituents that something has to be done, and done before Congress finishes its business this year," said Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.), a leader of the bipartisan group that forged the plan.
The proposal is the first sign of progress on an issue that has stirred anxiety and animosity on Capitol Hill.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said he was hopeful the compromise "can begin to break the current legislative stalemate on the Senate floor."
The proposal would offer concessions to Republicans who have called for increased domestic production: An area of the Gulf of Mexico, 50 miles off Florida's coast, would be open to drilling; and Virginia, the Carolinas and Georgia could decide whether to allow drilling 50 miles off their shorelines.
The senators excluded efforts to lift the long-standing ban on new drilling off the California coast or to open Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to energy exploration as too contentious and likely to complicate passage of the plan.
In a significant shift, the group's Republicans agreed to repeal a key oil industry tax break and force oil companies to pay billions in royalties to the U.S. Treasury for drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.
