Democrats alter oil-shale strategy Democratic leaders Tuesday removed language from a spending measure that would have allowed state-by-state approvals of oil-shale development. Citing President Bush's threat to veto the bill with limits on energy development, lawmakers said it would be stripped out. That leaves unresolved what will happen to barriers on commercial oil-shale leasing, which could affect federal land in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming. A moratorium that blocked the Bureau of Land Management from issuing final regulations on oil-shale development expires Sept. 30. Placed in a spending bill last year, it would have to be extended either directly or with language renewing all provisions of earlier spending bills. Instead of individual budgets, Congress is passing one spending resolution to keep the government running next year....