Policy on energy might change

President Obama hasn't given up on climate and energy legislation, according to a new Rolling Stone interview. He's just going to try for base hits.

In an Oval Office interview with the magazine's editor, Jann Wenner, Obama said he would make passing "an energy policy that begins to address all facets of our over-reliance on fossil fuels" one of his "top priorities" for 2011.

"We may end up having to do it in chunks, as opposed to some sort of comprehensive omnibus legislation," he said. "But we're going to stay on this because it is good for our economy, it's good for our national security, and, ultimately, it's good for our environment."

Also Tuesday, Obama endorsed a new report issued by Navy Secretary Ray Mabus. It suggests funding restoration of the Gulf of Mexico with some of the possible fines the federal government could levy on oil and drilling companies involved in the recent oil spill.

Although Obama has identified reducing greenhouse gases and promoting renewable energy as one of his top priorities, the administration did not make a major push in the Senate after the House passed a comprehensive bill on a largely party-line vote.

"During the past two years, we've not made as much progress as I wanted to make when I was sworn into office," the president told Wenner. "It is very hard to make progress on these issues in the midst of a huge economic crisis."

When Wenner asked if Obama would begin a similar lobbying campaign to the one he did the health-care overhaul last year, the president replied, "Yes. Not only can I foresee it, but I am committed to making sure that we get an energy policy that makes sense for the country and that helps us grow at the same time as it deals with climate change in a serious way."

- Juliet Eilperin