Lugar calls for aggressive energy overhaul

WASHINGTON, March 31 (UPI) -- Aggressive action is needed if the United States is to reduce the dependency on foreign markets for energy resources, a U.S. lawmaker said.

U.S. Sen. Dick Lugar, R-Ind., who sits on the Senate Subcommittee on Energy, Science and Technology, released a draft outline of his plans for a practical energy and climate policy.

Lugar through his plan aims to reduce foreign oil dependence by 68 percent by 2030.

More than 50 percent of that will come through improvements in fuel economy. Lugar proposed increased use in so-called flex-fuel vehicles for model years from 2013 to help meet that target.

Advanced use of renewable fuels, meanwhile, could reduce foreign oil dependence by as much as 15 percent, Lugar said.

"Foreign oil dependence places an intolerable burden on United States national security and results in the export of hundreds of billions of dollars per year," he said.

Lugar said that by focusing on policies that reduce the need for foreign oil, substantial relief could develop in the United States by as early as 2030 under his plan.

"Without aggressive action to decrease our long-term energy dependence on foreign sources, we are risking economic and security disasters, as well as even more severe trade imbalances and costs for consumers," he said.