But the Democratic measure, which officials said was still being written, could take some of the steam out of Republican charges that Democrats are being obstinate in blocking new drilling despite the cost of fuel. And Democrats will try to portray Republicans as unwilling to compromise should they refuse to consider Democratic alternatives after Democrats gave some ground on offshore drilling.

“We are going to put them to the test on this issue,” said Representative Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

Democratic aides said the expectation was that a bill would reach the floor quickly after Congress returns in early September. They said that it was unclear how the legislation would address the coastal drilling ban, but that it could take the form of an existing proposal that allows states to decide whether drilling should take place off their shores.

Congress has banned new oil drilling off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts and in the Gulf of Mexico off the Florida coast for decades by restricting spending on leasing programs in the annual spending bill for the Interior Department, which oversees drilling on federal lands. Since her election to Congress in 1987, Ms. Pelosi has fought efforts to expand drilling off California and in recent weeks has adamantly refused to entertain a vote on new coastal exploration, saying Republicans were simply trying to shift attention from Bush administration energy policies.

“During the past eight years, our energy policy has been directed by the two oil men in the White House,” Ms. Pelosi said in her radio remarks. “Their failed policy has increased our dependence on foreign oil, damaged our economy, and left consumers paying record prices at the pump.”