The Senate voted Tuesday to extend renewable tax credits before they expire at the end of the year, but the legislation faces challenges passing in the House.

For one thing, the Senate and House packages are different. The House bill doesn't include tax incentives for fossil fuels, such as for refineries to process oil from shale and tar sands or coal-to-fuel projects, Reuters reported.

The two packages have in common one-year production tax credits for wind energy and eight-year tax credits for solar energy projects. Homeowners would enjoy 30 percent tax breaks for eight years to add residential solar energy installations, and plug-in hybrid purchases also would receive some tax relief.

Limited tax breaks for oil and gas companies would fund the bills.

House members urged the Senate for flexibility. The White House, preferring the Senate package, which is part of a larger bill increasing the income level for the American Minimum Tax, warned it would veto the bill. Senate leaders also issued their own threat, Reuters said.

"If the try to mess with our package, it will come back here, it will die," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

Congress is expected to adjourn in the next couple of days ahead of the November presidential election.