Here’s a glimmer of hope:

The Democrats’ stumbles come as congressional Republicans continue to push aggressively for more domestic oil and gas production on the Outer Continental Shelf and in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as well as for an ambitious plan to turn coal shale beneath the High Plains into natural gas.
Republicans claim an amendment — offered by Pennsylvania Rep. John E. Peterson — to open offshore drilling sites 50 miles off the coast has enough support to survive a committee vote on the Appropriations panel.
The committee postponed consideration of the measure on which Peterson planned to offer his amendment, but Chairman Dave Obey (D-Wis.) told members Tuesday he plans to bring it up when lawmakers return from the weeklong Fourth of July recess.

I think if the Democrats were smart they would vote to lift the ban. It’s polling well, maybe that’s why they are starting to budge on the issue.
Then there’s this from the NY Times

Republicans want to end the 27-year ban on offshore drilling along much of the nation’s coastline, while Democrats want to force companies to speed up exploration in certain offshore areas that they already control. A version of the Democratic plan may come to a vote in the House of Representatives as early as Thursday.

How about we just do both?