Steven Chu--Secretary of Energy

Steven Chu

President elect Barack Obama has a man of science in his cabinet now--Steven Chu...beats thoughts of California's Govenor Arnold Schwarzenegger and former Secretary of State Colin Powell.

"Obama makes pick for energy chief, sources say"

by

Ed Henry

December 10th, 2008

CNNPolitics.com

President-elect Barack Obama is likely to name Steven Chu, a physicist who runs the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, as his energy secretary, three Democratic officials close to the transition told CNN.

The three officials said that the announcement is expected next week in Chicago, Illinois, and that Obama will also name Carol Browner, former administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency in the Clinton administration, as the newly created "climate czar" inside the White House itself.

Chu won the 1997 Nobel Prize in physics and is highly respected in energy circles. But some Democrats have privately expressed concern that Chu has no political experience as he takes on the monumental task of passing a landmark energy reform bill early next year.

Although Browner is seen as a shrewd inside player who could help the incoming energy secretary navigate Capitol Hill, Obama will face questions about how effective his team will be going up against oil companies and other special interests that do not want to change the status quo.

"Energy is going to be a huge fight," one Democratic official said. "They need someone with the gravitas and force of personality to make it happen."

Democrats have privately floated some other big names for energy secretary in recent days, including California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and former Secretary of State Colin Powell.

But a source close to Schwarzenegger said the governor wants to serve out the rest of his term in the Golden State.

A source close to Powell said the retired general will take "no formal Cabinet role" in an Obama administration but is leaving the door open to an informal troubleshooting role -- such as Mideast envoy -- if the incoming president has a specific mission that needs to be filled.

Steven Chu