Offshore-drilling legislation heats up

As news of a huge oil discovery deep in the western Gulf of Mexico unfolded, informal talks began in Congress to break an impasse over competing House and Senate plans to expand offshore oil and natural gas-drilling. The find by Chevron, Devon Energy and StatOil in an area already open to exploration follows a summer of soaring gas prices partially sparked by BP’s shutdown last month of a damaged pipeline in Alaska. But it is unclear whether the discovery will prod lawmakers to work out a compromise before Congress leaves for the Nov. 7 elections.