Meet the people who might fill top environmental jobs in an Obama administration 8

Energy | EPA | Agriculture | Interior | Climate Czar

By creating a prominent new position and staff, à la Homeland Security, the next president could send a clear message that he plans to take global warming seriously. Whether such a move would be smart governing is another matter. Creating new job titles and shuffling around departments willy-nilly is no guarantee of getting anything accomplished, of course. Rather than presiding over a significant restructuring of departments, a "climate change czar" could function more as a special environmental adviser to the president. Then again, the chair of the Council on Environmental Quality is already charged with that job. (Look for a trusted advisor and policy wonk like Chicagoan Howard Learner to fill that role for Obama.) Still, after a year of squabbling over flag pins, both candidates ought to know that symbolism matters, and the symbolic weight of a new position might be worth the effort.

Bill Richardson.

Bill Richardson
Saving the planet might be the next logical challenge for a guy who's already been a U.S. representative, ambassador to the U.N., energy secretary, governor of New Mexico, and international peace negotiator in North Korea and Darfur. As governor, Bill Richardson signed an aggressive energy package that, among other things, required all investor-owned electrical utilities to generate 10 percent of their energy from renewable sources by 2011. As a presidential candidate, he unveiled an ambitious energy plan that included a carbon cap-and-trade system to cut greenhouse-gas emissions 90 percent by 2050 and a pledge to cut U.S. oil demand by 50 percent by 2020. He promised to be the first true "energy president" before dropping out of the Democratic primary and endorsing Obama. If he's ready to leave the governor's mansion in Santa Fe, this position could be an appealing fit. (Read a Grist interview with Richardson.)

Terry Tamminen.

Terry Tamminen
As a top advisor to California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R), Terry Tamminen helped engineer California's ambitious 2006 carbon cap-and-trade plan. He then left the state in a quest to become a "Johnny Appleseed" of climate action, spreading plans and ideas for cutting greenhouse gases to leaders across the country, including Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (R). He gained administrative experience during a stint as head of the California EPA from 2003 to 2004, and he wrote the 2006 book Lives Per Gallon: The True Cost of Our Oil Addiction. As a Democrat who worked under a Republican governor, Tamminen would be a good fit for Obama's post-partisan philosophy. (Read a Grist interview with Tamminen, and still more about Tamminen.)

Al Gore.

Al Gore
As a former vice president and creator of the highly influential film An Inconv -- OK, you already know all about the guy. If Obama wants to name a climate czar, Al Gore would certainly be at the top of the short list; Obama has said as much. Gore would bring knowledge, expertise, and unparalleled star power (unless Bono took the job ...), and he could clank his Nobel Peace Prize on the table for added gravitas at cabinet meetings. But would Gore want another government job? Last year he said no. He's been much more effective (and happy) talking about the climate crisis as a private citizen than as a government official, so it would likely take an unprecedented Obama charm offensive to get Gore into any formal position. But Obama can be a charming guy ... (Read all about Gore.)

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