CORNING, N.Y. -- Debates became the debate Thursday when Republican Congressman Randy Kuhl and Democratic congressional candidate Eric Massa got into it over when they might have a discussion about the issues of the 29th district. Kuhl said he would debate Massa, but said when would depend on his schedule. He was in Corning talking with emergency responders about how fuel costs are affecting their budgets and services.
"You start to see 50, 60, 70 percent increases in costs, even more than that in some cases, and you understand that it really puts a crunch on people's budget and they have to make decisions that are really going to affect them long-term, like whether they can buy new fire trucks or things like that," Kuhl said.
Kuhl wants Congress to reconvene and pass the American Energy Act, which he says would increase American-made energy, improve conservation and promote alternative sources. Massa says he supports the so-called “all of the above plan,” but says it leaves out one thing.
People, businesses, even municipalities are struggling with rising fuel costs. Congressman Randy Kuhl heard from some staff in Corning Thursday about the affect of gas prices on some city budgets. But as our Kat De Maria tells us, the meeting also became a forum for November's race between Kuhl and congressional challenger Eric Massa.
"It excludes the responsibility of big oil who are seeing every quarter tens of billions of dollars in profits. And it doesn't do anything to address the gouging of the American consumer at the pump," said Massa.
Kuhl says the energy act would lower gas prices for people in Corning and across the country. Massa says Kuhl's visit was political.
"Anyone who believes that a staged press conference is not political doesn't understand how politics works. Of course it's political," said Massa.
"It wasn't intended to be political. It's a question of I was elected two years ago to do a job. And the job, people are telling me, is to solve this energy crisis," Kuhl said.
...Which both candidates say is the real debate.
Corning's fire chief says gas prices are becoming a consideration in the department's budget, but he says fuel makes up a fraction of the overall budget and he says costs are absolutely not affecting how he and his staff respond to fires.