transition talk
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Conservation scientists push for Rep. Raúl Grijalva for Interior Secretary
A group of conservation scientists is pushing for Barack Obama to select Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) as secretary of the interior. The 58 scientists — who work for a variety of academic and conservation institutions — delivered a letter [PDF] advocating for Grijalva to Obama’s transition staff on Monday. “The position of Secretary of the […]
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Christine Todd Whitman talks about greening the GOP and running the EPA
If Christine Todd Whitman had waited four years to publish her political memoir, she might have had this winter’s timeliest bestseller. The former Environmental Protection Agency administrator and New Jersey governor wrote It’s My Party Too: The Battle for the Heart of the GOP and the Future of America to urge moderate Republicans, environmentalists included, […]
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Prez-elect urged to name progressive farm-policy chief
Rather than name a USDA chief, Obama keeps floating trial balloons. The names range from the deplorable, like Big Ag lobbyist Charles Stenholm, to the relatively innocuous, like Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius. Sebelius is a former chair of the Governors Ethanol Council. Predictable, given that she leads a big farm state; inevitable, almost. But still. […]
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Greens psyched by Richardson pick for Commerce Dept.
Several big environmental groups have issued statements praising Barack Obama’s nomination of Bill Richardson today to serve as secretary of commerce. The pick, they said, will help spur green business. National Wildlife Federation President and CEO Larry Schweiger: If there’s anyone who understands that a green shovel can help dig us out of our economic […]
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Humanity is still bargaining with climate change
I’ve had a thought bouncing around, somewhat inchoate, that I shall now try to render in the language you humans call "English," despite the fuzzy-headedness brought on by Seattle’s relentlessly gray sky. Pardon the rambling. You constantly see stories in the media about things that might derail our still-nascent efforts to avert the worst of […]
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Obama nominates N.M. Gov. Bill Richardson to head Commerce Department
Barack Obama officially announced today that he is nominating New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (D) to be his secretary of commerce. (See our reporting on Richardson’s green record from last week.) In his announcement, Obama cited Richardson’s work on energy as an important factor. “As a former secretary of energy, Bill understands the steps we […]
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Gov. Ed Rendell says Kathleen McGinty has taken herself out of the running for an Obama post
Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell says he “heard” that Kathleen McGinty has taken herself out of the running for EPA administrator, according to the Capitol Ideas blog. Until July, McGinty headed his Department of Environmental Protection. Just last week, Rendell was pushing her as a strong candidate for a prime spot in the Obama administration, either […]
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SOS trumps NSA (Hillary Clinton trumps Gen. Jones)
Some enviros are annoyed that PEBO chose a national security adviser (NSA), retired Marine Gen. James Jones, who has emphasized energy security concerns over global warming — see, for instance, this lame transition report on energy (PDF) Jones just oversaw for the US Chamber of Commerce. The Politico actually just interviewed me on this very […]
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Reading the tea-leaves on Obama’s national security staffing
There’s a lot of commentary flying around about Obama’s security team, announced this morning. I recommend Spencer Ackerman. Everybody’s wrestling with the same questions. On natsec, just like with the economic team, Obama is appointing relatively centrist, establishment figures. What are we supposed to make of this? One interpretation is that Obama is abandoning the […]
