Earth Equity News

NRDC Staffers Hired for Key Energy and Climate Legislative Posts. By Kate Sheppard, Grist, March 6, 2009. "Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) on Friday announced that he's added Natural Resources Defense Council's Michael Goo to the roster at the House Select Committee for Energy Independence and Global Warming. Goo, NRDC's climate legislative director, is serving as special counsel to the committee focusing on climate legislation. Prior to joining NRDC, Goo worked for two influential lawmakers with big environment portfolios -- former House Energy and Commerce Committee chairman John Dingell (D-Mich.), and Senate Environment and Public Works Chair Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.). He also held a number of positions at the Environmental Protection Administration... Goo is the second high-level NRDC staffer to go to the Hill this year. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) hired NRDC legislative director Karen Wayland last month to serve as a policy adviser. Greenwire noted that the growing 'NRDC mafia' also includes Melissa Bez, a staffer for Waxman; Eben Burnham-Snyder, the select committee on global warming's spokesman; Brad Crowell, an environmental aide to Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.); and Chris Murray, who works for Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.). Former NRDC air pollution attorney David McIntosh, who last year worked on climate policy for Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), recently took a new job as a senior legislative adviser to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson." [Editor's Note: NRDC is a key proponent of cap-and-trade legislation.]