Transition to Team Obama

The green scoop on Obama’s Cabinet and administration picks and prospects 9

Lisa Jackson.

EPA Administrator: Lisa Jackson (not officially announced)

Background on Jackson.

Some enviros have been critical of Jackson -- get the story.

Steven Chu.

Secretary of Energy: Steven Chu (not officially announced)

Background on Chu.

Watch Chu talk about climate change and renewable energy.

Carol Browner.

Energy Czar: Carol Browner (not officially announced)

Background on Browner.

Browner, who was EPA administrator during the entire Clinton administration, has been a long-time acolyte of Al Gore.

Nancy Sutley.

Chair of Council on Environmental Quality: Nancy Sutley (not officially announced)

Background on Sutley.

Hillary Clinton.

Secretary of State: Hillary Clinton

Clinton -- who will be overseeing international climate negotiations -- had a strong climate and energy platform during her presidential run.

Read a 2007 interview with Clinton.

Bill Richardson.

Secretary of Commerce: Bill Richardson

Richardson will be charged with creating jobs, both green and otherwise, and with overseeing the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration. He had an ambitious climate and energy platform during his presidential run, and has been an advocate for clean energy and climate action during his tenure as governor of New Mexico. In nominating him, Obama cited his experience as secretary of energy in the Clinton administration.

Read a 2007 interview with Richardson.

Janet Napolitano.

Secretary of Homeland Security: Janet Napolitano

Napolitano has spoken out against the border wall that divides Arizona from Mexico; the wall has been found detrimental to the environment.

James L. Jones.

National Security Advisor: James L. Jones

Some environmentalists are worried about Jones, noting that he serves on the board of Chevron Corp. and is head of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Institute for 21st Century Energy, which is often at odds with enviros over energy issues.

Read up on Jones' energy views and how they may or may not matter within the National Security Council.

Peter R. Orszag.

Director of the Office of Management and Budget: Peter Orszag

Read about Orszag's views on curbing greenhouse-gas emissions.

Rahm Emanuel.

Chief of Staff: Rahm Emanuel

Emanuel -- who will be charged with running the White House and implementing the president agenda -- got high marks from the League of Conservation Voters during his time in the U.S. House.

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Secretary of Interior

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  Vote in our poll.

Secretary of Agriculture

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  Vote in our poll.

Secretary of Transportation

  • Earl Blumenauer, Democratic representative from Oregon
  • Steve Heminger, executive director of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission for the Bay Area
  • Ed Rendell, governor of Pennsylvania
  • James Oberstar, Democratic representative from Minnesota and chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
  • Peter DeFazio, Democratic representative from Oregon and chair of the House Subcommittee on Highways and Transit
  • Janette Sadik-Kahn, commissioner of the New York City Department of Transportation
  • Jane Garvey, former head of Federal Aviation Administration
  • Mortimer Downey, deputy transportation secretary under President Clinton

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  1. CR Posted 2:26 am
    14 Nov 2008

    Secretary of AgI wish Obama would show more interest in conservation and sustainability. Having lived in Minnesota, I was dismayed to see Colin Peterson on the list. Although he's a democrat, he has a poor environmental record. A better choice would be moderate republican Jim Ramstad, also of Minnesota. According to the League of Conservation Voters, both Colin Peterson and Stephanie Sandlin voted against subsidy reform and grasslands protection in the farm bill, but Ramstad supported those reforms.
    For other ideas, why not look to the staff and board of the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture in Iowa? This is a good organization that manages to exist in the biggest conventional ag state in the country.

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  2. Ndaves Posted 3:54 am
    17 Nov 2008

    NOAA?Why are you not looking at who might head NOAA?

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  3. kablume Posted 4:10 am
    17 Nov 2008

    Cabinet MembersThe folks at the Backbone Campaign - backbonecampaign.org - have been working since 2003 on coming up with potential progressive candidates for cabinet offices.
    It's worth a look to see who could be rounding out the list.

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  4. Environmentman Posted 4:33 am
    17 Nov 2008

    [NEW] EPA AdministratorDr. Marsha Coleman-Adebayo

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  5. bobafeit Posted 12:37 am
    18 Nov 2008

    NOAA??What about NOAA?  NOAA is 75% of Department of Commerce.  If we are going to maake a differnce in combatting climate change and increasing wind power, NOAA and our ocean should be at the top of the list!

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  6. Salikah Posted 3:00 am
    18 Nov 2008

    Safe use of nuclear energy?I'm told that the French have been making good use of nuclear energy, continuously re-using the spent fuel (?) that has always been the scary waste by-product of this source of energy? I say leave no stone unturned, if it leads to a zero-footprint, and will allow developing countries to improve their (own cultural) standards of living.

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  7. mwildfire Posted 3:11 am
    18 Nov 2008

    McGintyI don't know enough about most of the candidates to vote--from what little I know, I'd support Bill Richardson and Kathleen Sibelius. But maybe if i were from NM or KS, I wouldn't. Based on your interview, Kathleen McGinty, PA DEP head, sounds wonderful. But, although I've never lived in PA, I worked there for a small green group and I can tell you that McGinty was seen in a very cynical light. She liked to run around waving a green scarf, depicting herself as an environmentalist while cutting deals with companies. And I'm sure she's more politically ambitious than she admits. The much-touted RPS, often proposed as a model for other coal states like my own WV, went through when I was there. It sets tha standard for renewable percentages high because it sets the definition so low. Most importantly it includes COAL. See, it's not a RENEWABLE energy standard, it's an ALTERNATIVE energy standard. That way they got the coal industry on board, by allowing coal to qualify, via burning the "gob" piles of old waste coal. These continue to slowly leak toxins and sometimes catch fire, so people are thrilled to get rid of them--but don't realize the low-BTU piles will be returned to the tune of 2/3 of the original volume as ash--perhaps less toxic than the original gob, but meanwhile, there are the air emissions, including CO2. I do give her and Rendell credit for attracting Gamesa--Gamesa is begging for wind sites in WV and being given the cold shoulder by state officials, coal whores to a man. But surely we can set the bar higher than better-than-WV.

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  8. Storm Dragon Posted 3:15 pm
    18 Nov 2008

    I still want to know...Who's on the list to head the Department of Homeland Security?

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  9. Delay And Deny's avatar

    Delay And Deny Posted 1:31 pm
    29 Nov 2008

    More Bicycle Paths...Sir

    Please consider the following petition to President-Elect Barack Obama.  
    Americans have said in a recent survey they would devote as much as 22 percent of transportation funding to pedestrian and bicycle projects.
    Let's get our President to agree!
    http://support.railstotrails.org/recovery

    Permalink

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