"Ten years, 2 cents," Pelosi said, arguing that 10 years would be the time needed to reap a small benefit to most Americans. "Even the president has said it isn't a quick fix. ... I can't allow a hoax to come to the floor."

But she would consider a vote on drilling "in the context of a fuller, more comprehensive energy package" that would include ending some of the oil companies' current tax breaks.Big Oil, she said, wants to drill and "not pass their royalties to the taxpayer. They want us to subsidize the drilling."

That's why alternative energy - solar, wind, oil released from the strategic energy supply and natural gas, which is clean and abundant - should be mandated as part of the plan, she said.