MADISON, Wis. -- Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty spoke before a crowd at the University of Wisconsin nuclear reactor on Monday stressing McCain's views which support nuclear energy and offshore drilling.

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Pawlenty has been mentioned as a potential running mate for Republican Sen. John McCain.

"It's an option that provides us with essentially emissions-free energy capabilities," said Pawlenty. "It's a reliable and Americanized form of energy and that last point is very important -- we need to move towards energy independence."

Pawlenty said that Obama would "slam the door shut" on nuclear power if elected president.

Energy has become one of the hottest issues in the presidential race, and McCain is pushing a plan to drill for more oil and build 45 more nuclear power plants.

Obama has offered conditional support for those two options but is focusing more on investing in renewable energy from the sun and wind.

Obama supporter and U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin argued that Obama's plan is more cautious.

"I think Sen. Obama clearly has the superior ideas in terms of working our way out of our energy woes and also confronting climate change," said Baldwin.

Obama has offered some support for nuclear energy based on conditions of storage and waste disposal.

Pawlenty called the Democrat's plan "minimalist" and said that it would restrict the nation's options for getting off foreign oil.