As Matthew L. Wald and others reported this morning, Energy Secretary Steven Chu is poised to head back to California, leaving President Obama with a new opportunity to signal his approach to energy and climate policy in his final term.
On Twitter I offered my view of an ideal candidate, someone with the wisdom, voice and drive to propel a sustainable energy quest:
There could be a host of reasons why she won?t be picked, but Shirley Ann Jackson, the president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute since 1999, at least embodies the qualities that would be great to see in this cabinet seat.
She has Chu?s intelligence, but far more rhetorical power and plenty of experience dealing with the rough battles surrounding energy choices. (The experience was gained in part at the helm of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission; I first saw her in action in 1996, when covering disputes over the safety of the Indian Point nuclear power plant complex.)
I?ve paid several visits to Rensselaer and marveled at the entrepreneurial energy of faculty and students alike. The school has also mastered the tough art of getting different disciplines to collaborate.
Some students see Jackson as too distant and formal (there?s a telling video moment here).
But more revealing, to me, is her spirited exchange last year with Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia when he visited the campus along with Secretary Chu and three other notable men, to participate in the school?s annual Commencement Colloquy. The full discussion is here and an excerpt on climate and the Supreme Court is here:
Watch some of the conversation and I think you?ll agree that Jackson would have no problem making her points in a male-dominated cabinet.
Whoever is chosen, I hope that person reviews, and embraces, the talking points assembled so artfully a decade ago by the chemistry Nobelist Richard Smalley.
As I?ve explained before, there is enormous potential for progress on climate-smart energy steps even in the face of persistent division over the extent of the threat from global warming. See the three slides here for some evidence: ?Energy Agreement Hidden by Climate Disputes.?
4:10 p.m. | Addendum | If you offer a suggestion for this cabinet seat using Twitter, use the tag #nextenergysec and it will show up here.
4:55 p.m. |Update
Daniel P. Schrag, a Harvard professor focused on energy and climate and member of the President?s Council of Advisers on Science and Technology, sent this recommendation by e-mail:
Shirley would be a great choice. Another perspective would be to choose someone from the business world. I think a major challenge with DOE is management, and I think DOE?s engagement with the business community would benefit from a business leader taking the helm. My choice would be Jeff Immelt. He has been at GE for a long time, and oversaw the ?ecomagination? campaign. He certainly understands the business world and the energy world, and he has worked closely with the administration on a number of projects. I would love to see someone like Immelt take over Chu?s vision of a clean energy future, but with the excellent management skills to make them a reality.
5:53 p.m. | Postscript | I forgot to mention that Jackson, like Schrag above, is a member of the President?s Council of Advisers on Science and Technology.
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