Titla, Bee and the NRCC talk energy

Congressional candidate Mary Kim Titla: Campaign photoEnergy was the topic of the day in all four of the competitive congressional races in Arizona. Mary Kim Titla, Democratic candidate in the 1st Congressional District, released an energy plan, while state Sen. Pres. Tim Bee (R-Tucson) visited a gas station to discuss the nation's fuel crisis. Meanwhile, the National Republican Congressional Committee kept up their assault on U.S. Reps. Harry Mitchell (D-Tempe) and Gabrielle Giffords (D-Tucson) over voting against bringing a Republican energy bill up for a vote.

Titla unveiled a five-point plan to combat the nation's fuel problems, a day after Republican candidate Sydney Hay revealed her own five-point plan. Both Hay and Titla believe a revamp of the nation's oil refinery system is necessary, but while Hay's focus is on expanding the production capacity of America's oil refineries, Titla proposes a national air quality standard to eliminate some of the dozens of blends refineries currently produce.

She also advocated clamping down on oil market speculation, lifting the ethanol tariff, opening the Strategic Oil Reserve and "Promoting Patriotism," which Titla defines as a concerted effort to conserve fuel. "America must begin weaning itself off of fossil fuels," wrote Titla, "and begin ushering a new age of alternative fuels that will not only be good for our pocketbooks but will reduce our global carbon footprint and liberate us from foreign oil dependency in the process."

State Senate President Tim Bee: Campaign photoim Bee was in Tucson, touting his own energy plan. Speaking at the Troy Little Quik Mart, a family-owned gas station and convenience store, Bee advocated a "diversified" approach to the nation's energy needs.

"We must put politics aside and put America’s future as our top priority," said Giffords's 8th Congressional District rival. "We must support a balanced energy plan."

Bee advocates increased domestic energy exploration in an "environmentally sound" manner, as well as investing in the development of alternative energy sources.

In taking a broad-based approach incorporating fossil fuel production and investment in renewable energy technologies, Bee is sounding echoes of the Republican national leadership, which has been advocating what they call an "all of the above" strategy. The National Republican Congressional Committee, homing in on energy as their premier issue in Arizona congressional races, released a new broadside Wednesday against Reps. Giffords and Mitchell for standing "in the way of Republican efforts to pass real energy solutions."

Republican leaders attempted to bring the Coal-to-Liquid Fuel Act to the floor of the House Wednesday, which would enable the Secretary of Energy to enter into loan and profit sharing agreements with companies converting coal directly into liquid fuels.

"Harry Mitchell/Gabrielle Giffords [have] failed to deliver any solution for America’s energy crisis because [they are] too busy siding with his Democrat leadership at every turn," wrote NRCC spokesman Ken Spain.

The bill was kept from the floor on a vote of 228-193, mainly along party lines.