Sen. Larry Craig, Republican of Idaho, said he formally filed this week morning the House energy bill as an amendment to the economic stimulus legislation.

"We will debate energy on the stimulus package," Craig told reporters on Capitol Hill.

Craig said the energy bill must be passed to boost domestic oil supplies and reduce U.S. dependence on OPEC and other sources of imported oil.

"Who determines the price of gasoline in America today? Foreigners from outside our country," he said.

Republicans said they would prefer to vote on the energy measure as stand-alone legislation, but the Senate's Democratic leadership has refused to schedule such a vote.

Republicans said that as a result they have been forced to try to attach the energy package to other bills moving through Congress.

Craig said he stripped the more than $32 billion in energy tax incentives and credits from the House bill before offering it as amendment to improve the measure's chance of passing the Senate.

Craig said he does not want to slow down the economic stimulus package and that he would withdraw his amendment if a bipartisan agreement on a stimulus plan emerged. In that event, he said, he would try to pass the energy legislation when lawmakers return from their Thanksgiving recess.

"If we have a bipartisan stimulus package on the floor of the Senate to vote on, we would not offer the amendment," he said.

Instead, Craig said the energy bill would be offered as an amendment in December to the pending agricultural spending measure.

Senate Democrats are opposed to opening the Arctic refuge, arguing that drilling would harm the polar bears, caribou and other wildlife that live there.

Sen. Joseph Lieberman, a Connecticut Democrat, again warned yesterday that he would filibuster legislation that allows drilling in the refuge.