SANTA BARBARA, CA - McCain’s energy initiatives faced some skepticism during his two-day trip to the birthplace of the modern environmental movement.

During a roundtable with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, former CIA Director James Woolsey and two local environmental experts, McCain’s proposal to expand the use of nuclear power and offshore oil drilling came under attack from a fellow panelist.

“I don’t understand how it’s not compromising our environmental standards to propose a crash program to build more nuclear power plants when the industry has not complied with the federal law that requires there to be safe disposal for the radioactive waste,” said Michael Feeney, the executive director of the Land Trust for Santa Barbara County. “There is no solution to that problem, and that’s a big stumbling block for me to a rapid expansion of nuclear energy.”

Feeney didn’t stop there, adding that he was also doubtful about offshore drilling. “It makes me nervous to think about those who are proposing to drain America’s off-shore oil and gas reserves as quickly as possible in the hopes of driving down the price of gasoline,” Feeney said “I think when you look at the good sources of information, were we to open up the California coast or the Alaska natural wildlife refuge to drilling, it would be twelve, 15 maybe 20 years before those resources came online and got to full production.”

The event, at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, took place a few miles from the site of a 1969 oil spill created by an offshore rig that eventually spilt 3 million gallons of oil off of the Santa Barbara coast.

McCain only pushed back on Feeney’s criticism of nuclear power, suggesting that the local director look across the Atlantic for progress in dealing with spent fuel.

“My friend, the technology is there. The Europeans do it. I mean it’s safe. It’s being done,” McCain said to applause. “They are doing fine…you should visit their reprocessing facility which they have been doing for many, many years without any accident or difficulties or problems and they are meeting closer to the Kyoto requirements of their greenhouse gas emissions, closer than just about anybody else.”

Feeney quickly backed down, noting that he was “not familiar with exactly how they’re dealing with the nuclear waste in a successful way in Europe,” but added, “we are not dealing with it in as successful way in the United States at this point. I know that.”

The exchange comes one day after a donor at McCain’s Monday night fundraiser also expressed skepticism about McCain’s recent reversal on offshore oil drilling.

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GASTONIA, NC - Barack Obama’s campaign and supporters have accused Hillary Clinton of pandering to voters by advocating a temporary suspension of the federal gas tax that they say would do very little to ease people’s pain at the pump. But two actual voters confronted Clinton with the charge at an outdoor rally today — getting the NY Senator all fired up in the process.

“I’ve been all over North Carolina, and people are really upset about these gas prices,” she told the crowd from her perch in the bed of a cherry red 1956 Chevy pickup truck. Spotting a handmade neon green sign in the crowd, she paused. “I see that sign over there,” she said. “Guy’s got a sign saying a gas tax holiday is blatant pandering. Well I’ll tell you what, I’d rather the oil companies pay the gas taxes than you pay the gas taxes this summer.”

“I’ll tell you something else. When the Federal Reserve and the Federal Treasury bailed out Bear Stearns to the tune of $30 billion, I didn’t hear people talking about it being pandering,” said Clinton, voice rising. “I think it’s time we didn’t just bail out Wall Street. What about bailing out Main Street? What about recognizing that for many people, they count those pennies every single week?”

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WAKE FOREST, NC — Hillary Clinton today cast Barack Obama’s opposition to suspending the federal gas tax for the summer as part of a larger inability to provide both short term and long-term solutions to the problems facing the country.

“Someone running for office, particularly running for the presidency, has to be able to deal with both the immediate, the urgent, the long-term and necessary,” she said. From the gas tax, to the mortgage crisis, to health care, Clinton argued that she’s the only candidate who’s shown that ability.

“My opponent is running ads and holding press conferences attacking my plan to try to give you some kind of break this summer,” she said. “There is no contradiction between trying to provide immediate relief and having a long term vision and a plan for what we must do to lessen our dependence on foreign oil and be moving toward more homegrown fuels.”

“So here’s what I propose: I want the oil companies to pay the federal gas tax this summer.”

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UPDATE: Sen Clinton hit the same notes at her morning rally in Kinston, NC. This video is from that event.

JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind — Faced with a slew of experts and even some political allies who say her plan to suspend the federal gas tax for the summer is anything but a solution to the price problem at the pump, Sen Hilary Clinton took the fight above and beyond her two rivals for the White House — calling on every member of Congress to go on the record to support or oppose a federal gas tax holiday

“Do they stand with the hard pressed Americans who are trying to pay their gas bills at the gas station, or do they once again stand with the oil companies?” she asked. Saying she’ll put the question to them soon in the form of legislation, Clinton said “I want them to tell us, are they with us or against us when it comes to taking on the oil companies?”

As for her two opponents, Clinton attacked them for disagreeing with her plan, which would pay for a suspension of the gas tax with a new excess profits tax on the oil companies. “My opponent Senator Obama says well, that’s not a good idea, that’s just a gimmick. And my other opponent Senator McCain says well yes let’s do that, but let’s not pay for it,” she said.

Lending his support in Jeffersonville was Robert F Kennedy, Jr, a long time Clinton backer and advocate for energy independence who told the crowd that Sen Clinton is tough enough for what she calls the toughest job in the world. “I worked very hard with her when she came into New York state, ran for my father’s senate seat in the state, and I saw what she did during that campaign and election,” he said. “She came in after enduring one of the most savage beatings of any public figure during my lifetime.”

He also joked about the split in the famous Kennedy clan over which Democrat to support this year. “There are some members of my family who’ve decided to do the wrong thing and support Barack Obama,” he said. “Let me tell you why they’re wrong and I’m right - because I know Hillary Clinton better than they know Barack Obama.”

A new Clinton campaign ad in Indiana is accusing Barack Obama of refusing to help hard working families in Indiana by saying “no” to a federal gas tax holiday.

“When the housing crisis broke, Hillary Clinton called for action: a freeze on foreclosures. Barack Obama said, no,” says the narrator in Clinton’s new :30 spot, called “Trouble.”

“Now, gas prices are skyrocketing, and she’s ready to act again. Hillary’s plan: Use the windfall profits of the oil companies to pay to suspend the gas tax this summer. Barack Obama says no, again”

“People are hurting. It’s time for a president who’s ready to take action now.”

The Obama campaign calls the spot “a misleading attack ad that’s emblematic of why Washington has failed to make progress on the tough issues that face Indiana families.”

“Tens of millions without health care, families losing their homes, an economy in crisis and sky-high gas prices,” writes spokesman Hari Sevugan. “What’s the Clinton campaign’s response? More Washington-style attack ads.

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind — Hillary Clinton’s bashed Barack Obama again today for opposing a federal gas tax holiday over the summer — and hit her potential Republican rival John McCain for proposing one but failing to pay for it.

Clinton outlined her plan to cut the price at the pump at the Miller Veneer factory in Indianapolis — where customers have started refusing shipments because of the surcharge the company has to charge to make up for the higher cost of gas. First up in her plan: “I would immediately lower gas prices by temporarily suspending the gas tax for consumers and businesses.

“We will pay for it by imposing a windfall profits tax on the big oil companies. They sure can afford it,” she said. “This is a big difference in this race. My opponent opposes giving consumers a break from the gas tax, but I believe American people are being squeezed pretty hard.”

“There are a lot of people in Indiana who would really benefit from a gas tax holiday. That may not mean a lot to my opponent, but I think it means a lot to people who are struggling here.”

The Obama campaign called Clinton’s idea part of “The same Washington gimmicks that got us into this mess in the first place,” and circulated an article by liberal economist Paul Krugman — who is generally pro-Clinton — calling the plan “pointless, and disappointing.

Clinton, of course, disagreed. “We do need short term, immediate relief,” she said. “I’ll be introducing legislation in the congress to do just that.”

“I imagine that President Bush will be against it. Anything that goes against the oil companies you can count on the two oil men in the White House being against, that kind of is something we’ve gotten used to. But we’ve got to be prepared, and we’ve got to take the case. And we’ve got to do everything we can to try to get some changes out of congress. Then we’ve got to get really in position when finally we have a new president next January to get serious about overcoming all of our energy costs and our challenges.”