Obama Likely to Announce Energy, Environment Team This Week

[babylonsister]

Obama Likely to Announce Energy, Environment Team This Week

By CQ Staff | December 8, 2008 2:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Coral Davenport


President-elect Barack Obama will likely announce his energy and environment team this week, according to sources close to the transition. The announcement will probably come Wednesday or Thursday, and is expected to follow votes in Congress on an auto industry bailout package.

Obama is expected to announce his nominees for Energy Secretary, Interior Secretary and head of the Environmental Protection Agency together, in keeping with a pattern of announcing "teams" for particular issue clusters. He has already 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 bailout council, could feed "big government" criticisms.

One option for elevating energy and climate issues within the White House without creating a new office could be "super-charging" the existing White House Council on Environmental Quality, which coordinates federal environmental efforts, and had a fairly low profile in the Bush administration.

more...

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/transition/2008/12/obama-likely-to-announce-energ.html

[wyldwolf]

1. ...and he's meeting with Gore soon... hmmmm....

[babylonsister]

2. Yep. My very first thought, too. nt

[alwysdrunk]

3. I thought Gore said he didn't want in?

I mean, I hope that's wrong but I saw it a few times here on DU.

[babylonsister]

4. You did see that. But he's meeting with Obama tomorrow. Could

be something totally unrelated. Or not. :shrug:

[Mass]

6. He is asking Gore his input about the names he is going to offer. It would make a lot of sense,

don't you think? (though Gore as energy czar would be great too, but not likely).

[Klukie]

5. to add to the discussion....

Obama, Gore to meet in Chicago
1 hour ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Barack Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden planned to meet privately with former Vice President Al Gore in Chicago Tuesday, Obama's transition office said.

In a statement, Obama spokesman Nick Shapiro said the three men would "discuss energy and climate change and how policies in this area can stimulate the economy and create jobs."

Democrats familiar with the meeting said it was not intended to be a discussion of whether Gore might take a position in the Obama administration

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gmnaFOEfLjNPmCWEdB7bv9NuDDAwD94UOE500

[Lasher]

7. Hey, maybe he'll pick me for something!

I wonder what job would be the most fun. FEMA maybe, it's an easy act to follow and all you would have to do is fix it back like Clinton had it. I could really get into personally firing all the 'loyal Bushies' that have been hired there since January 2001.

Or perhaps the office of faith-based initiatives. People on my staff would practice different religions: At least one Hindu, one Muslim, one Bhuddist, one Jew, and one persone who adheres to a Native American tradition. And atheists too. But they would have to have faith in something like NASCAR or their favorite college football team, what with the faith-based title and all. Christians need not apply, they got their time in during the last 8 years. Then we would see how the fundies really like breaking down the separation of church and state.

But no calls from Obama yet and the positions are filling up fast.

[FrenchieCat]

8. Exciting!

That's the word I would use!