QUOTEBOX: Energy sector on presidential candidates' plans

(Reuters) - U.S. energy policy has been at the fore of the 2008 presidential race due to growing concerns about energy costs, U.S. reliance on foreign oil and environmental issues.

Republican candidate John McCain and Democratic candidate Barack Obama have proposed energy plans highlighting offshore drilling, alternative energy, climate change, and fuel efficiency.

Below are comments by energy analysts, traders and industry groups on both candidates policies.

PETER BEUTEL, OIL ANALYST, CAMERON HANOVER, NEW CANAAN,

CONNECTICUT

"Neither has an energy policy that is completely fleshed out yet. Obama wants to drill on existing land. McCain wants to drill on other lands.

The most important thing any president can do is to keep their eye on the ball. We need to prepare for 'peak oil'. We need to drill in a lot of places we don't now. We need to do everything Republicans and everything Democrats want."

ED MORSE, CHIEF ECONOMIST FOR LCM COMMODITIES IN NEW YORK

"If you look beyond the rhetoric, if you look at the guts of their energy and environmental platforms, they are very similar. I think that similarity reflects what now is an underlying consensus in the American political system to do something about supply, about demand, about the integrity of the environment, about carbon and to do it through market solutions.

Both of them have taken a position on accelerating what was legislated a year ago which was unbelievable tightening of CAFE (vehicle mileage) standards -- not only by boosting them by nearly 30 percent but also imposing regulations on cars, SUVs and light trucks. They are going to be coming into office -- no matter who is elected -- partly as a fallout of this political environment where the consumer has moved away from energy intensive transportation to lighter, more efficient vehicles.

If they actually tighten the CAFE standards, they will be moving to get America off oil more rapidly. We are now in a situation where in the United States, we have reduced consumption of oil products by 1.5 million barrels per day over where we were a year ago. That's responsible for the fall in oil prices."

JIM RITTERBUSCH, PRESIDENT OF RITTERBUSCH & ASSOCIATES,

GALENA, ILLINOIS.

"With an Obama election, you would see much more of an emphasis on alternative energies, I think you'd see a lot more emphasis on the CAFE or mileage standards being enforced or mandated.

"Within the McCain camp, you have more of tilt to what (Republican Vice Presidential candidate) Sarah Palin would call the "Drill, baby, drill" philosophy. And overall, the McCain victory would suggest more of a supply response to the energy problem, while the Obama camp would come would come up with a policy more targeted toward demand response.

"Obviously, the large integrated oil companies would benefit from a McCain election and the companies involved the solar, wind, and alternative-type energy sources would benefit more from an Obama victory."