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Obama's energy-environment team likely to be named next
(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-12-09 13:36 US President-elect Barack Obama will likely announce his energy and environment team this week, according to sources close to the transition. The announcement probably will come Wednesday or Thursday, and is expected to follow votes in Congress on an auto industry bailout package, the sources said.
Obama is expected to introduce his nominees for Energy secretary, Interior secretary and head of the EPA together, in keeping with a pattern of announcing "teams" for particular issue clusters. He already has named his economics and national security teams. Also possible is the announcement of a new White House office of energy or climate change, perhaps in the form of a new National Energy Council on par with the National Security Council. The Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank which is advising the Obama transition, has recommended the creation of such a council, headed by a White House-level energy or climate czar. Advocates of the proposal say Obama's ambitious energy and climate proposals will involve nearly every agency, including Energy, Interior, EPA, Agriculture, Transportation, State, Defense and Labor, and will need one figure to coordinate the effort. But the creation of that position is still under discussion, say sources close to the transition. One concern, they say, is that the addition of a White House energy office -- on top of the creation of the new Economic Recovery Advisory Board, and the expected creation of some form of auto-industry bailout council -- could feed "big government" criticisms. There is at least one option for elevating energy and climate issues within the White House, but without creating a new office: Obama could choose to "super-charge" the existing White House Council on Environmental Quality, which coordinates federal environmental efforts, and had a fairly low profile in the Bush administration. Speculation on who will fill the top slots runs rampant, and transition sources say many of the final decisions could depend on how those positions fit within the broader Cabinet -- and with Obama's goal of creating a Cabinet diverse in race, gender and geography. On Monday, it appeared that Lisa Jackson, chief of staff for Democratic New Jersey Gov. John Corzine and the state's former top environmental official, was close to clinching the nomination to lead the EPA, according to aides. Jackson is also an adviser to Obama's energy and environment transition team. The name most commonly mentioned as a new White House energy or climate czar is Carol M. Browner, who headed the EPA during the Clinton administration. Potential Energy Picks Among the likely contenders for Energy is Dan Reicher, who runs the Energy and Climate office for the philanthropic arm of Google, and served as assistant secretary of Energy in the Clinton administration. Another name being mentioned for Energy is Steven Chu, the Nobel prize-winning director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, a government lab in California that employs 4,000 people and focuses on renewable and alternative energy. However, the chances of Chu, who is of Chinese descent, may have diminished with Obama's pick of another Asian-American, retired Army Gen. Eric K. Shinseki, as Veterans Affairs secretary. Some aides and transition sources said that Obama may also look to bring in the head of an electric utility for the Energy post. The electricity sector would undergo a massive transition under Obama's energy and climate plans, and someone from the industry could guide that policy and help bring along former colleagues, say aides. Sources close to the transition said the team is also considering "someone really amazing" for Energy -- possibly a very high-profile public figure, who would help elevate the profile of the agency and energy policy with a shot of star power. Such speculation has focused on California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican, or former Vice President Al Gore, who is expected to meet Tuesday with Obama to discuss energy and climate change issues. Gore and Obama also are expected to talk about the makeup of the energy and environment team and the creation of a White House energy office. Gore has indicated, however, that he has little interest in a Cabinet position, preferring instead to use his celebrity as a Nobel prize winner to travel the world raising awareness of climate change. Interior Options Aides say the choice of an Interior secretary is even less clear. Until Monday, sources close to the transition said Democratic Reps. Raul M. Grijalva of Arizona and Mike Thompson of California were likely nominees, but concerns about both arose in a meeting Sunday. Another name then entered the discussion: Kevin Gover, director of the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian, and the Interior Department's assistant secretary for Indian affairs during the Clinton administration. A coalition of local environmental groups, mostly from Western states, sent a letter to Obama on Monday urging him to nominate Grijalva. "We believe that Congressman Grijalva's demonstrated strength in navigating these sensitive issues and his commitment to science-based decision-making will serve the Interior well as it moves beyond the Bush administration's policies," they wrote. A wild card pick for Interior could be Republican Theodore Roosevelt IV, who was until recently a managing director at the now-bankrupt Lehman Brothers, and now holds the same position at Barclays Capital Inc. One oft-mentioned candidate who won't fill any of the energy and environment slots: Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, D-Kan., who announced over the weekend that she was taking herself out of consideration for an Obama Cabinet position. |
