Americans are angry about soaring gasoline prices. They are torn about whether to drill for more oil offshore. Cue John McCain and Barack Obama.

Both presidential candidates must focus on energy issues in this year's campaign. Voters certainly will.

On balance, Obama has put forward a more complete package of plans to meet the nation's energy-related challenges. He backs bigger improvements in fuel efficiency for vehicles, for instance, and wants to encourage utilities to help customers reduce their use of electricity and natural gas.

McCain deserves praise for not following in lockstep with those Republicans who want the country to continue to rely too heavily on fossil fuels. An innovative example: He wants to offer a $300 million prize for the development of a better battery for electric-powered vehicles.

Obama and McCain generally agree on several reasonable proposals with long-term benefits. They include:

• More federal funding for research in renewable energy, especially wind power.

• Cleaner ways to burn coal, still the country's dominant source of electricity.

• Increased conservation, especially in terms of making buildings and appliances more energy-efficient.

• Dramatic improvements to the nation's electrical-supply grid.

All are high priorities that deserve more funding from Congress, no matter who wins in November.

McCain and Obama disagree on a number of other energy issues. And some ideas from each candidate have serious deficiencies.

Obama's weaknesses include his ill-advised support for corn-based ethanol as well as for a windfall profits tax that could reduce oil exploration by U.S. companies.

McCain's call to temporarily repeal the federal gas tax would reduce funding for critical road repairs.

An overview of some of the plans offered by the candidates during their campaigns:

OFFSHORE DRILLING

Obama does not support a dramatic expansion of offshore drilling, as recently proposed by President Bush. The Democratic candidate recognizes Big Oil has not fully answered criticisms that it has failed to aggressively drill in offshore areas already open to exploration.

McCain unfortunately now backs some offshore drilling after years of opposing it.

ETHANOL

McCain wants to dump the costly taxpayer subsidy for corn-based ethanol, an excellent idea that could help level the playing field and would encourage lower-cost ethanol production from other sources.

Obama appears stuck on mandating more use of corn-based ethanol, which has helped drive up crop prices to troubling levels for consumers.

FUEL EFFICIENCY

Both candidates have supported stronger mileage standards for vehicles. In 2002 McCain broke from the Bush administration to offer a plan to tighten a rule that hadn't been changed in almost 20 years. It unfortunately failed.

More recently, Obama has grabbed the upper hand. He helped develop the proposal that Congress approved last year to require new cars to get almost 36 miles a gallon by 2015.

Now Obama wants legislation to require even further improvements after that. McCain merely wants to see how the new law works.

NUCLEAR POWER

McCain argues that nuclear power could help cleanly produce a lot more electrical power, helping to reduce global warming. He wants 45 new reactors built by 2030.

However, Obama has the stronger argument in opposing more plants until the nation has a safe storage facility for the high-level waste created by more than 100 reactors.

Obama says he'll push for such a site, which the government has failed to establish after years of looking and billions of tax dollars spent.

In the months ahead, McCain and Obama must devote more attention to energy issues. Americans need to hear exactly how the candidates would expand the nation's energy options while curbing consumption.