NOVEMBER 10, 2008 Obama Is Likely to Use Executive Power To Halt Drilling, Fund Stem-Cell Work
By JONATHAN WEISMANArticle
Comments
more in Politics »President-elect Barack Obama will likely use his executive powers after taking office to block new drilling leases on environmentally sensitive land in Utah and to allow federal funding of stem-cell research, putting a quick mark on policy making.


Barack Obama
"There's a lot the president can do using his executive authority without waiting for congressional action," John Podesta, head of Mr. Obama's transition team, said on "Fox News Sunday."

Mr. Podesta said Mr. Obama is "a transformational figure" and that the support he received among voters in some Republican states and conservative counties gives him a mandate to pursue his agenda aggressively.

Rolling back executive orders issued by the Bush administration could give Mr. Obama a fast way to put his mark on policy making after he takes office, as past presidents have. Other Bush-era executive orders that Mr. Obama could reverse include a ban on federal aid to family-planning organizations that counsel women on abortion, and a decision in December that restricts California in regulating greenhouse-gas emissions from cars.

The Bush administration has been rushing to implement regulations before Mr. Obama takes office. Unlike with executive orders, some of these would take longer for Mr. Obama and the Democrats to roll back.

One Bush-era measure Mr. Obama is likely to address quickly are the new oil and gas leases approved recently by the Department of Interior that would open up for drilling land near Arches and Canyonlands national parks in southern Utah's desert. Environmentalists said drilling in the area could potentially damage the parks and surrounding land.

Mr. Obama could also lift restrictions placed by President George W. Bush on the type of stem-cell research that can be funded with federal dollars. Democratic congressional leaders have vowed to push a twice-vetoed stem-cell research bill as one of the first acts of the next Congress.


Rahm Emanuel
Mr. Podesta and other top Obama aides fanned out on the Sunday news talk shows, suggesting that after Tuesday's electoral sweep, the incoming administration would begin to try to influence policy making before January's inauguration.

Speaking on the Sunday shows, Mr. Podesta, incoming White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and transition Co-Chair Valerie Jarrett touched upon the detailed preparations the Obama team has made to pave the way for a smooth transition to the presidency. Mr. Podesta said his team has been working since early August, with transition leaders meeting frequently with officials in the Bush White House. About 100 Obama aides received security clearance before the election, so they could begin accessing national-security information immediately after Mr. Obama won.

Mr. Emanuel said the president-elect would be moving forward with his entire agenda as soon as he is sworn in. That agenda includes achieving universal health care, increasing education funding, implementing middle-class tax cuts and moving the country toward energy independence.

More
Political Perceptions: A Realignment or Stars in Alignment?The first priority will be implementing an economic stimulus plan that includes tax rebates for the middle class and funding for infrastructure and school construction, Mr. Emanuel said. Then the new administration would regroup and push what he called the president-elect's four "reforms": education, health care, energy and taxes.

By putting those agenda items under the rubric of reform, Mr. Emanuel might make them more politically palatable. But any changes could also be implemented more gradually, as the Obama administration would pursue them as broader policy goals rather than specific legislation.

Mr. Emanuel, appearing on ABC's "This Week," didn't comment directly on whether Mr. Obama would back calls from senior Democratic lawmakers for Mr. Bush to allow ailing U.S. auto makers to tap a $700 billion fund set up to help the financial industry. But senior Obama economic advisers clarified that the president-elect supports the Democratic lawmakers' proposal to review the legality of making the funds available to the auto makers.

Ms. Jarrett, appearing on NBC's "Meet the Press," dismissed criticism from some Republicans that the appointment of Mr. Emanuel, a brash, Democratic street fighter who had served for years in the U.S. House, marked a break from Mr. Obama's pledge to move beyond partisan battles in Washington. Joking that Mr. Emanuel will become kinder and gentler, Ms. Jarrett said: "That's part of the change we've been talking about."