Democrats and Republicans traded salvos over high gasoline prices again Tuesday, as the two parties continued another day of wrangling over the best way to deliver relief.

Democratic leaders in both chambers are seeking to move bills this week that would address high energy prices, but fundamental differences between the parties over whether to open more areas for drilling have stymied progress, if not rhetoric.

During a morning radio appearance, House Minority Leader John A. Boehner, R-Ohio, said energy legislation is stalled is because Democratic leaders “worship at the altar of radical environmentalism.”

“Let me tell you, we’ve been trying now for eight weeks to find a way to force a vote and we’re going to continue to press them every single day. They’ve gone through all kinds of legislative hijinks to make sure there is no vote,” Boehner said.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., disagreed, saying Republicans in his chamber have been offered a chance to vote on “allowing state governors to decide on offshore drilling. They can offer their drilling amendment, and we would offer our own alternative.”

Senators agreed 94-0 to bring debate to a close on a motion to consider a bill (S 3268) that would curb speculation in energy markets. However, so far lawmakers haven’t been able to agree on what amendments may be offered, leaving the prospect of 30 hours of postcloture debate on the motion before real work can begin.

House Democratic leaders would like to bring an energy bill to the floor by Wednesday or Thursday. They are weighing bringing up their own oil futures trading bill or a separate measure calling on President Bush to release around 70 million barrels of oil from the nation’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

Meanwhile, T. Boone Pickens, a Texas oilman who has been underwriting a costly television advertising campaign promoting wind energy, told the Senate Homeland Security Committee that dependence on foreign sources of oil could mean big problems for national security.

Pickens noted that the United States imports nearly 70 percent of its oil, including from some countries that do not have America’s best interests at heart.

Pickens has proposed weaning the United States from foreign oil by boosting domestic renewable energy — primarily wind power — and by using natural gas to fuel automobiles.

Pickens was also to meet with Democrats in a private caucus expected to start at 7 p.m.