WASHINGTON -- The House voted Tuesday to let the Justice Department pursue energy antitrust and price-fixing cases against members of the OPEC oil cartel, although critics said such attempts would likely be fruitless and could prompt a backlash from oil producers.

The bill, approved 324-84, also would create a special Justice Department task force to investigate energy markets to root out manipulation and unwarranted speculation.

Similar measures are part of a package of Democratic energy proposals being considered in the Senate.

A White House official said President Bush would be advised to veto the bill.

The legislation could "harm U.S. interests abroad, discourage investment in the U.S. economy, potentially limit the availability of gasoline and possibly further increase fuel prices," the White House said in a statement to lawmakers.

The House passed much the same bill targeting OPEC last year, and the Senate embraced it, only to see the provision subsequently taken out of a broader energy bill.

The legislation passed Tuesday would remove the current prohibition against pursuing antitrust actions against a sovereign country. Many energy experts and legal scholars doubt that such an enforcement action would be successful.