Obama Overestimated Climate Bill’s Support, Lugar Says

President Barack Obama “vastly overestimated the support” for the climate-change legislation that failed last year and should now focus on the risks in U.S. dependence on foreign oil, Senator Richard Lugar said.

Obama should set a goal for producing competitively priced biofuels and promoting conservation to lower oil imports and save consumers money, Lugar, an Indiana Republican, said today at a conference in Washington sponsored by the Clean Economy Network Education Fund. Lugar said he’s working on legislation modeled after a bill he introduced in 2010 that called for more fuel-efficient vehicles and support for nuclear power.