The House rejected a bill Thursday that would have released about 70 million barrels of light, sweet crude from the nation’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve into the open market, with the hopes of temporarily bringing down energy prices.

The “SPR swap” bill (HR 6578) fell by a vote of 268-157, short of the two-thirds majority required under suspension of the rules.

The measure — which would replace the high-grade petroleum with heavy, sour oil that is tougher to refine — represents the Democratic leadership’s latest effort to provide short-term relief from record gasoline prices.

While both parties say major comprehensive energy legislation is ultimately necessary to address what lawmakers and experts call an energy crisis, efforts to craft or move such a package have stalled over a rancorous divide between party leaders on expanding offshore oil drilling.

The SPR bill received a solid majority of the votes cast Thursday, but Democrats had called it up under suspension of the rules because the procedure bars amendments on the floor.

Democratic leaders have used the procedure for energy bills in part to avoid consideration of a Republican proposal to open U.S. waters to offshore oil drilling, which Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., strongly opposes.

Republicans have slammed Democratic leaders for barring amendments. The minority lawmakers say they might pick up enough Democratic votes to win adoption of a drilling amendment.

“Speaker Pelosi, for some reason, is adamantly afraid of that kind of bill coming to the floor,” said Joe L. Barton of Texas, the ranking Republican on the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

“Let a bill come up that’s got some real domestic energy supply in it and have an honest debate and see where the votes are. Let’s don’t have an energy gimmick of the week. That’s what this is — it’s the latest energy gimmick of the week,” he said.

Democrats say they are trying to move through small, specific energy measures that could have a measurable short-term effect on gas prices.

“It’s a discrete suggestion,” Pelosi said of the SPR bill. She added that she is committed to continuing to fight against expanding offshore drilling.

“What the president would like to do is to have validation for his failed policy,” Pelosi said, referring to President Bush’s endorsement of expanding drilling. “I’m saying that that’s not something that will come easily to him.”