HAMMOND | After decades of negotiations and setbacks, U.S. Sen. Dick Lugar is optimistic, but cautious, in his hope for making the Gary/Chicago International Airport a success.
"My whole career in the Senate has been devoted to the Gary airport," Lugar said with a laugh.
In an interview with The Times after delivering Calumet College of St. Joseph's commencement address Saturday, Lugar, R-Ind., discussed issues facing Northwest Indiana, including struggles with transportation and water quality.
Years of short-lived airline interest and battles over rail tracks have stifled the airport's chances to become a commercial success, Lugar said.
He cited progress made during his many years in office, including a recent agreement to expand the airport's runway, but he said there is no guarantee.
"It's too bad that in the course of time, the airline industry in our country has not grown stronger. Right now we're in a very sad period," he said. "I don't know whether we're going to succeed."
Lugar also addressed the region's air and water quality issues, calling the passage of BP Whiting's controversial wastewater permit, as modified with public input, a "satisfying result."
"For some persons who are both job-oriented and environmentally conscious, they would say this is improvement, we've made some headway," Lugar said. "Others ... felt that it was patchwork.
"That will not end the arguments in Northwest Indiana, and I suspect that probably other companies or other issues that are similar to this are likely to arise, as they are all over America.
"It's a different atmosphere with regard to clean air and clean water, as well as climate change."
Lugar, a trailblazing proponent of biofuels, also lamented the fruitful but difficult trials in getting people on board with ethanol.
"We have barely 105 filling stations in all of Indiana, that will sell you E85 (gas)," he said. "It's agonizing, the process of actually getting the fuel to the market. And this is Indiana, one of 15 states that has quite a bit of corn production."
The senator also described watching his state's Democratic primary hang in limbo after hours-delayed votes from Lake County stalled statewide results. Lugar called it "not a good moment."
"I'm sitting there, 11:30, looking at CNN, and the results from Lake County are zero at this point," he said. "I won't really say where my mind took me at that point."
Lugar said such a last-minute election snafu could raise theories of something sinister or a conspiracy where there is none.
"In this case, it just was embarrassment," he said. "Now everybody in the world wonders where is Lake County? What goes on?"
BREAKOUT
Lugar: Daniels would make strong running mate
U.S. Sen. Dick Lugar addressed rumors in some political circles that presumptive Republican presidential candidate John McCain could tap Gov. Mitch Daniels, Lugar's former aide, as a fall running mate.
In a briefing with reporters Friday, Daniels said, "John's too smart to ask, and I'm too smart to say yes."
Lugar said he has not heard any talk among McCain staff about calling on Daniels. But, he said, as someone with "a very strong personal bias ... of course, I would be excited.
"If Senator McCain is looking for a good man, he might find one there."
