Speaker Nancy Pelosi has set a July 4 deadline for House chairmen to prepare bills responding to the Gulf oil spill.

The California Democrat aims to move those measures before the August recess, according to a leadership aide, though bills already in the works could see action sooner.

Pelosi set the new deadline after pulling together eight committee and subcommittee chairmen with jurisdiction over the disaster response. “We are ready,” she told reporters after the meeting. “I don’t know what further evidence anyone would need that we need a new energy policy in our country as we go forward.”

Lawmakers are considering an array of bills to hold oil giant BP accountable for the spill and strengthen industry regulations to prevent a repeat of the disaster. One top priority: lifting the $75 million cap on BP’s liability for the spill.