CHEYENNE - Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal was among 16 Democratic governors who met this week in Chicago with presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama to talk about economic and energy issues.

"The dinner discussion last night, as well as the discussion this morning, was interesting and informative, as I think the governors are trying to get a better understanding of Sen. Obama and I think that he's also trying to get a better understanding of the issues that governors confront," Freudenthal said in comments distributed by his press secretary Friday.

Later Friday, Obama dismissed rival John McCain's proposal to allow offshore drilling as an election-year conversion, arguing that it will not lower gas prices for families "this year, next year, five years from now."

Obama pledged to keep in place the federal government's 27-year moratorium on offshore drilling, and criticized McCain on changing his position on the matter.

In McCain's 2000 campaign, the Republican said he favored the moratorium. This week, he said he supports lifting it to give states the option to drill, and cited as a reason alleviating the pressure on consumers facing high gas prices.

McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds responded that Obama is rejecting measures needed to lower gas prices. "The American people cannot afford Barack Obama's do-nothing, out-of-touch energy policy," Bounds said.

But Obama asserted that opening up the U.S. coastline to oil exploration would not give Americans any short-term appreciable savings.

"John McCain's proposal, George Bush's proposal, to drill offshore here in Florida and other places would not provide families any relief this year, next year, five years from now," he said from Jacksonville. "We can't drill our way out of the problems we're facing."

Earlier, in Chicago, Obama said McCain's proposal "makes absolutely no sense at all."

"Even then you're looking at cents on a gallon of gas," Obama told the Democratic governors. "Who knows 22 years from now, what would gas be at the pace that we're going right now?"

Freudenthal's comments on Friday didn't address Obama's position on offshore drilling. But, the governor said, "It's encouraging to have a candidate who doesn't pretend to have all the answers but is willing to be part of a partnership to try to find them for this country."

Obama said he would invest $150 billion over the next 10 years to create green jobs, particularly in the automotive industry and to improve the electricity grid so people can drive plug-in hybrid vehicles. Freudenthal said he was glad to hear about "the development of an environment in which research, development and education will become important again," according to his press release.

"I am encouraged that there is a focus on questions of energy," Freudenthal added. "I'm not entirely convinced that those discussions are complete yet with either of the candidates or really even as a country."