House Democrats Expand Proposed Oil, Gas Drilling House Democrats, some chanting "drill, drill," embraced a plan to open the door for more oil and natural-gas exploration along the entire U.S. coastline, in a shift showing the power of the energy issue in this election. Under a compromise bill hammered out in a series of closed-door meetings Wednesday on Capitol Hill, the House Democratic leadership agreed on a plan that would authorize drilling along the entire coastline, though new production would hinge on states agreeing to participate. Previously, Democrats proposed opening the door to expanded drilling along only a portion of the Atlantic seaboard, from Virginia to Georgia, and the Gulf Coast of Florida. The new proposal would potentially open areas off the coast of California that have been closed to new oil drilling for more than two decades. The measure could be voted on as soon as Friday....