The new democratic US House of Representatives has voted to reverse one of President George Bush's key awards to the oil industry.
The bill would remove billions of dollars in subsidies to US oil firms.
Its supporters praised it as a new direction in energy policy which would benefit the environment.
The energy legislation would cost big US oil companies like Exxon Mobil and Chevron as much as $14bn over the next 10 years.
And it forces companies to pay huge royalties they have avoided through faulty drilling leases.
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US House of Representatives Care About Environment
The energy legislation would cost big US oil companies like Exxon Mobil and Chevron as much as $14bn