CONCORD — One thing North Carolina's two main gubernatorial candidates agree on: Economic development will be a top priority of the next governor.

Republican Pat McCrory and Democrat Beverly Perdue spoke to more than 230 people at the N.C. Economic Developers Association conference at the Concord Convention Center, Jim Morrill reports.

"As mayor and as governor, a major priority will be jobs, jobs, jobs," said McCrory, the mayor of Charlotte. "The number one goal of the governor is to sell the state."

McCrory outlined a 10-point plan for development, including new and traditional energy initiatives, a 50-year transportation plan and stopping what he called the "ridiculous internal competition" between regions.

He said one of his top priorities will be replacing the Yadkin River bridge on Interstate 85.

Perdue, the current lieutenant governor, said she would push for development in all 100 counties. She toputed her role in keeping the state's military bases open said North Carolina should be on the forefront of developing a "green" economy with wind and solar power.

And a one-time opponent oil drilling off the N.C. coast, she said, "Yes, there's a real role for off-shore drilling in the future."

U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge, in town during the summer congressional recess, gave a talk in Raleigh today about energy prices.

He talked about his bill to boost the number of federal investigators of excessive oil speculation, saying, "Right now, we need more cops on the beat," according to his prepared remarks, Barb Barrett reports.

His bill failed in the House of Representatives in a vote that required the support of two-thirds of the House members, but he hopes to return it to another floor vote in September, when it will require only a simple majority to pass.

Etheridge also talked about his support of Democratic legislation that requires oil companies to search for oil on 68 million acres of land already leased for drilling from the federal government. That bill failed along party lines, with Republicans opposed.

Etheridge, a Lillington Democrat, spoke to county commissioners from the Second Congressional District, which includes Johnston county and a portion of Wake County.

Majority Action has revisited an earlier claim about the 2005 energy bill.

In a radio ad over the Fourth of July weekend, the liberal 527 organization attacked U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole for voting for the bill.

And in a new TV ad that began airing today, the group again repeated its claim that Dole has voted to give "big oil companies" billions in tax breaks. Text in the ad cites the energy bill.

As we noted the first time, that charge is misleading.

As the nonpartisan FactCheck.org has reported, the Energy Policy Act of 2005 included tax cuts of about $2.6 billion for oil and gas companies, but it also included tax hikes worth about $2.9 billion, for a net increase of nearly $300 million over 11 years.

"The breaks that the oil and gas industry received were more than offset by tax increases contained in the same measure," FactCheck.org noted.

Does the United States have 2 trillion barrels of oil?

A radio ad touting an energy bill cosponsored by U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole says that the United States is "home to a vast supply of oil, estimated at over 2 trillion barrels."

The ad appears to be referring to the Green River Formation, a giant untapped oil shale deposit in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming.

A 2005 report by the RAND Corporation, a nonprofit think tank based in California, estimated that the Green River Formation holds between 1.5 and 1.8 trillion barrels of oil, of which roughly 800 billion barrels are recoverable.

"Present U.S. demand for petroleum products is about 20 million barrels per day, so 800 billion barrels would last for more than 400 years if oil shale could be used to meet a quarter of that demand," the think tank noted in a brief.

However, it added that there are technical problems.

"Assuming the private sector decides to invest in oil shale development and production, we expect that an oil shale industry capable of producing more than a million barrels per day is at least 20 years off," it said.

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole is about to get some outside help.

After three attack ads from third-party groups have aired, the North Carolina chapter of Americans for Prosperity will take to the airwaves next week to defend Dole.

Spokesman Dallas Woodhouse said that the minute-long ad will air on radio stations across the state. As with the others, it will be an independent expenditure not related to the campaign and is technically an "issue ad" on energy policy.

The ad features a male and a female narrator talking about high gas prices, then noting that Dole has a plan to repeal the ban on offshore drilling.

"Senator Dole has shown real leadership on the energy issue at a time when North Carolina families need it most," the male narrator says.

The group will spend about $150,000 on the ad starting Monday.

Americans for Prosperity is a 501(c)(4) organization dedicated to promoting limited government and lower taxation. It receives funding in part from Raleigh businessman Art Pope and small donors.

Script after the jump.

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U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole and Democratic rival Kay Hagan both back the "Gang of 10."

The two rivals in the North Carolina Senate race both say they support a compromise energy proposal put forward on Friday by a bipartisan group of 10 senators.  

The proposal would allow for drilling off the coast of North Carolina and other states, encourage conservation and promote tax credits for alternative car fuels.

In a press release Monday, Hagan said she supports the plan.

"While the bill is not perfect, I have learned during my time in the Senate that compromise and consensus are necessary if we are to get anything done," she said in a statement.

Today, Dole's camp fired back, charging that there is no bill yet.

"She's telling us to sign onto a bill that doesn't exist," said spokesman Hogan Gidley, adding that Dole supports the idea.

Hagan's campaign noted that Sen. John Thune, among others, described the proposal as a "bill" on his Web site.

"Whether you call it a bill or a proposal or idea, it's out there," said Hagan spokeswoman Colleen Flanagan.

Previously, Hagan had opposed offshore drilling in North Carolina, while Dole changed positions to support it. 

Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama's latest ad attacks Republican rival John McCain's votes on energy policy.

Offshore drilling has become a political football in the Senate race.

The campaign of Democratic nominee Kay Hagan has been attacking U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole for voting against ending debate on a bill that would take on excessive speculation in oil futures.

"When push comes to shove, and there’s an actual vote Dole needs to cast, she’s with the special interests and against the people who elected her," said Hagan spokeswoman Colleen Flanagan in a statement.

Dole's Congressional staffers, meantime, say that the senator and other Republicans wanted the chance to amend the bill to deal with other energy issues. Among them was an amendment to end the ban on offshore drilling.

They complained that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid cut off debate.

"They shut down debate and they shut down amendments," said Dole spokesman Wes Climer. "Senator Dole is working hard to develop a comprehensive solution that not only includes market fairness but also conservation and alternative energy sources."

At least 158 amendments were offered for the bill.

U.S. Sen. Richard Burr says health care should be on the list.

The Winston-Salem Republican is one of a handful of first-term senators who are trying to make health care an issue in the November races without much luck, the National Journal reports.

"When was the last time you saw a Republican presidential candidate lead on health care?" said Burr, who has long been a supporter of presumptive GOP nominee John McCain.

Polls show more voters trust presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama on the issue.

But Sen. John Ensign of the National Republican Senatorial Committee said that the fall elections will be focused on the issue of energy, specifically offshore drilling and high gas prices. 

Pat McCrory said offshore drilling is part of a long-range plan.

At a press conference this afternoon in Raleigh, the Republican gubernatorial nominee said that he recognizes that natural gas and oil exploration off of North Carolina's coast would take years to have an effect on the energy market.

But he argued that it would affect speculators, who consider the long-range availability  

"If not here, then where?" he asked, saying the alternative would be to rely on countries he characterized as essentially dictatorships. "If we're not willing to drill off our own coasts, then where will you drill? Off Venezuela? Off Nigeria? Saudia Arabia, Russia?" 

The Charlotte mayor said that anyone who drives daily and opposes drilling is "hypocritical."

"What you're really saying is 'I'm willing to take oil from someplace else except for my own backyard,'" he said.

McCrory said that drilling would be just one part of his energy plan. He said he would push for more mass transit across the state as well as more wind, solar and nuclear power and more efficient state buildings, among other conservation measures.