Earth Equity News

Title, But Unclear Power, for a New Climate Czar. By John M. Broder, NYTimes, December 12, 2008. "Much remains unknown, and perhaps undecided, about Carol M. Browner's new position as White House coordinator of energy and climate policy. How much real authority will Ms. Browner wield? Will her office have the same bureaucratic clout - the ability to knock heads together at other agencies - as the National Security Council and the National Economic Council? Will she be able to hold her own against the two powerhouses that will lead those established councils, James L. Jones, a retired Marine general, and Lawrence H. Summers, a former Treasury secretary? Will she outrank the director of the White House Domestic Policy Council? Will she have office space in the West Wing? How big will her staff be? But this much is known. Ms. Browner's thinking on climate change, environmental regulation, energy conservation and new technology are very much in line with those of President-elect Barack Obama and the other members of his environmental team. Ms. Browner, who has close ties to Mr. Obama's transition chief, John D. Podesta, started laying the groundwork for the handover with him back in August.Aides said Wednesday that Mr. Obama intended in the next few days to announce the nominations of Ms. Browner, Steven Chu as secretary of energy, Lisa P. Jackson as administrator of EPA and Nancy Sutley as head of the White House Council on Environmental Quality. But the scope of Ms. Browner's job remains under discussion, the aides said. Her views and government record are well known."