CHEYENNE (AP) -- The four candidates seeking the Republican nomination to run for Wyoming's seat in the U.S. House discussed subjects including energy development, the environment and the national economy in a televised debate Monday night.

The candidates vying for the GOP nomination are Mark Gordon, a Buffalo-area rancher and businessman; Cynthia Lummis, a former two-term state treasurer; Bill Winney, a retired U.S. Navy officer; and Michael Holland, a Green River physician.

The winner of the Aug. 19 primary will face Wilson businessman Gary Trauner, the only Democrat seeking his party's nomination to run for the seat. The winner of the general election will replace outgoing Republican Rep. Barbara Cubin.

Monday's debate was held at Central Wyoming College in Riverton and was sponsored by Wyoming PBS, Wyoming Public Radio and the Wyoming Business Report.

During the wide-ranging hourlong program, the candidates debated the merits of oil and gas drilling on the Wyoming Range. A U.S. Senate committee has approved legislation that would prevent drilling on 1.2 million acres of land in the western Wyoming mountains.

Lummis said she could support a limit to drilling in the range if the proposal were modified to meet the concerns of local officials, including the Lincoln County Commission. Those concerns include the boundaries of the drilling area and the length of any drilling moratorium.

Gordon said resources could be developed within the Wyoming Range after the government conducts a 3-D seismic assessment of the area to demonstrate what's available. He called the range a "precious area" that needs to be handled "very carefully."

"One thing that's clear is that we really need to know what we have at stake," he said.

Winney and Holland both opposed any moratorium on drilling, saying the oil and gas industry is capable of developing the area with minimal disturbance to the surrounding environment.

Winney, the only returning Republican from that 2006 race, seized an opportunity to question whether Lummis could take credit for growth in the state's investment funds during Lummis' term as state treasurer in the late 1990s and early part of this decade. He suggested credit should lie with the Legislature and executive branch.

Lummis said she worked with the Legislature and governor to grow the funds, but that she guided the process.

"I am very proud and very comfortable taking credit for the fact that between mineral revenues and sound investment policies, our investment went from 3.5 to over 8 billion dollars while I was state treasurer," Lummis said.

Whichever candidate prevails in the Republican primary, the race against Trauner looks like it will be an expensive contest. As of the Federal Election Commission's most recent filing deadline at the end of June, Trauner had raised $990,000 in donations, more than any of his potential Republican opponents.

Gordon and Lummis led in fundraising among the Republican contenders. Gordon had raised more than $828,000, including nearly $650,000 he lent himself. Lummis had raised $370,000 through June 30, including $67,000 she donated to her own campaign.

Winney had brought in $124,000, while Holland hasn't reported raising money for his campaign.

Libertarian W. David Herbert is also running for the seat.