Obama’s nominee for energy secretary, Steven Chu, had his confirmation hearing in the Senate today. Here’s a sampling of news coverage:
New York Times: Energy Nominee Shifts His Stance
Washington Post: Chu Tempers Comments at Confirmation Hearing
Cnet: Obama’s energy pick endorses nukes, clean coal
The general theme of the coverage is of an independent-minded scientist who recently called coal a “nightmare” easing off his progressive positions when faced with the political realities of Washington. This is probably an oversimplification. Greentech Media’s Michael Kanellos points out that Chu is being fairly consistent and has acknowledged that coal is going to be with us for a while.
I’d add that you don’t get to be head of a Department of Energy laboratory, let alone nominated for energy secretary, if you’re overtly threatening to the coal and nuclear industries. What I pin my hopes on is that Chu is a scientist, and he’s unlikely to ignore or distort the hard scientific realities of energy and climate change.
One thing to watch for is how he responds to pressure from his original constituency, the scientific community. On that note, check out the Q&A we posted today. We talked to six energy researchers about what they hope and expect from the Obama administration.