Coal-to-liquids technology would be among the alternative energy interests to benefit from a comprehensive national energy bill expected to be introduced today.

A bipartisan group of 22 legislators in the U.S. House - frustrated with their leadership's reluctance to adopt a national energy policy - announced Wednesday they have crafted their own energy bill. It's called the National Conservation, Environment and Energy Independence Act.

The legislation would lift most restrictions on off-shore drilling for oil, and about $2.6 trillion is expected to be generated from the resulting lease agreements, according to U.S. Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va.

That money would be put toward the development of alternative energies, including the development of coal technologies, she added.

"We are very excited about this," Capito said. "We have been working on this for about a month. There have been no lobbyists and no special interests. We have been writing this ourselves, and that is the way it should be.

"We've found common ground because we all realize the U.S. is unloading a lot of energy dollars overseas," she added. "We also all realize it is becoming a security issue."

The bill retains the moratorium on off-shore drilling up to 25 miles off land, according to Capito. States would have the right to dictate whether drilling could occur from 25 miles to 50 miles from shore.

All drilling would be allowed 50 miles from land, she said.

The coalition of House members resulted from their mutual frustration with the lack of action on energy issues in Congress, according to Capito.

"Leadership will not put forward an energy bill because they are absolutely opposed to off-shore drilling," she said. "They know they would lose. There are enough Democrats, Republicans and Americans who think we need to be reliant on ourselves. We found enough people to get a dialogue together, and we wrote legislation. That's the way we should do it.

"If we can't drill for oil and we don't want coal or nuclear energy, we have no pathway to energy independence," she continued. "That's what this bill is addressing."

Capito noted that the legislation refers to using coal for transportation fuels and also stipulates that aviation fuel made from coal be used by the U.S. Air Force.

Among the 22 U.S. House members - 11 Democrats and 11 Republicans - working on the legislation are John Peterson, R-Pa.; Neil Abercrombie, D-Hawaii; Thelma Drake, R-Va.; Tim Walz, D-Minn.; Jim Costa, D-Calif.; and Dan Burton, R-Ind., according to information provided by Capito's office.