I am sorry to report that Sue Tierney will no longer be a candidate for deputy secretary of energy. She sent out an email today to friends indicating that was her decision. She would have been a first rate deputy (see here).
The email was private, so I won’t discuss its contents. I will say that just months as acting assistant secretary in 1997 was pretty much all I could take of that unbelievably demanding and stressful job. And the workload — and travel — gets more demanding and stressful the higher up you go. Deputy is two levels above assistant secretary, so I honestly don’t know how anybody manages those jobs — and it is no surprise to me that anyone ultimately decides it isn’t right for them.
I don’t think it will be particularly easy to replace Tierney’s multiple skill sets and talents — but it is absolutely critical that Steven Chu pick someone who is an energy expert, preferably someone with some DOE experience, and preferably someone who can help on the crucial issue of transmission (see here).
This post was created for ClimateProgress.org, a project of the Center for American Progress Action Fund.
