By Tom Doggett

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President-elect Barack Obama will nominate Steven Chu, a Nobel physics laureate and advocate of alternative energy research, as his energy secretary, a Democratic aide said on Wednesday.

Chu, who would be the first Asian-American to lead the department, would work closely with former Environmental Protection Agency chief Carol Browner, who will head a new council coordinating White House policy on energy, climate and environmental issues.

Obama, who has said energy and environmental matters would be important to his administration, is filling out the team that will oversee them.

He wants to spend billions of dollars to promote alternative energy sources and create millions of green energy jobs.

Lisa Jackson, the chief of staff for New Jersey's governor, will also be nominated to head the Environmental Protection Agency, a Democratic aide confirmed. She would be the first African-American to lead that agency.

Earlier, a Democratic official said Obama had chosen Nancy Sutley, a deputy mayor of Los Angeles, to head the White House Council on Environmental Quality.

Browner, a principal at global strategy firm The Albright Group LLC, heads Obama's advisory team on energy and the environment. During President Bill Clinton's administration, she became the longest-serving EPA administrator.

Chu, whose appointment requires U.S. Senate confirmation, shared the 1997 Nobel Prize in physics for developing methods to cool and trap atoms with laser light and has been director of the Energy Department's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California since 1994.

The laboratory's website said Chu was an early advocate for finding scientific solutions to climate change and had guided the laboratory on a new mission to become the world leader in alternative and renewable energy research, particularly the development of carbon-neutral sources of energy.

A spokesman for the Lawrence Berkeley laboratory said of Chu's selection: "We don't really know about it. Whatever contacts the Obama people have had with Steve Chu, he kept it offline from the laboratory."

Chu could not be reached for comment. He is traveling in Asia and Europe and will be back at work on Monday.

Jackson was New Jersey's environmental protection commissioner until she became the governor's chief of staff this month. She previously worked at the federal EPA for almost two decades.

(Writing by Tom Doggett, additional reporting by Deborah Charles; Editing by David Alexander and Peter Cooney)

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If I recall, back in the '50s there was a C&W singer that was governor of Louisiana (Jimmy Davis?). Speaking of LA gubernatorial, I remember seeing a photograph of him in full C&W regalia, on house back, riding up the capital steps in Baton Rouge. In the accompanying article he explained that he had done it as a publicity stunt for some event. Then he made the off had observation that it was the first time a whole horse had been in the capital. He could have toured the other 49 states and made the same comment.....
Is there any indication where Steven Chu, Browner or Sutley stand on Natural Gas?
Any articles floating around form past speeches or papers?
Chu talks alot about getting of oil, and seems to be against coal, but I could not find anything that indicates his stand on Nat Gas.
Just came back from 'mind wandering'. Wouldn't this scenario be interesting: remember when the Japanese cars slowly came onto the scene in th US? The US automakers were still in high production of huge, heavy cars. the US woke up but by then the Japanese automakers had come onshore and started building on our ground, which made just cut down their cost to ship the cars over here. Finally, the US automakers had an epiphany that they should make more efficient cars, not bigger ones. Well, almost, they still wanted to feed their egos and have the biggest models. So they frittered away their time, research, production capacity, money on the big models. The Japanese and other imports, continued to refine and imrpove their products. Not far fetched.
Let's overlay this strategy onto NG.
Over the next 10 years, the US continues to keep the head in their &^%$ and continues to think a pittance of research money should be spent on alternative fuels (corn, biofuels, termite sacs, pinwheel (er I mean, windmills lol,) and other star wars defense system type strategies. As we pacify a few researchers, the 'monied' Japanese, Brazil, Middle Easterner, Koreans, The Dutch/Canadians(Shell/Encana) whoever, start building and sending affordable Nat gas cars, buses, trucks, they quietly start buying up or building a NG stations from all the gas stations that have gone out of business here, they are also buying up our contracts we have signed with US NG companies (who are in the tank now), maybe even buy our land directly from us at reasonable lease or purchase rate. Meanwhile, the US govt is still 'researching'. Some jobs are created. A few bi-lingual US engineers. LNG plants are being built, LNG is being exported all over the world, we are all in the money.
Next thing you know, there are NG stations that are convenient, NG cars and trucks on the road, we are getting paid.
But....
CHK, HK, EXCO, EOG and the US based companies are not calling the shots, probably t doing grunt work as the local hand of some offshore organization. The US govt is in catch up mode, holding Senate hearings to figure out how this happened, and booking 3 minutes segments on Lou Dobbs. US automakers are relagated to making 'hotwheels' replicas of their previous hot models, still asking for a bailout. Aubrey is in line behind them.
Wouldn't the US be better served to produce, export, etc via 'fully' US owned companies?
Wouldn't our financial, security and any other 'picture' you can think of be better served?

This scenario is far fetched, maybe.
Not really, how many technologies have we sent overseas only to have it thrown back in our face by the financier of the day.

I pray it does not go down like this.
Our resources should be used, owned, managed here.
I don't like it.
How can we get our govt. to listen?
Our representatives are not much smarter than us, they do not see the big picture.

This is a race.
Other nations are already converting.
Are we a nation of 'little yellow bus' riders, attendees in the 'special class'?
Why are we so slow?

I am getting myself all worked up.
I apologize.
VSC 'O'. No apology required. Maybe our energy problem, and other national issues of import, have not been addressed for the very fact that average Americans (voters) can not seem to "get themselves worked up". We complain about our elected leaders but seldom do anything to motivate them to action. Our apathy allows for business as usual. It seems that until the economic reality lands in our own laps ($4 gasoline for example), we are loathe to rouse ourselves to pay attention to the real dangers we face. Get your laps ready, $4 gasoline is a minor inconvenience compared to what's about to land there.
All I'm saying is:
I would love to see a majority of US companies ultimately own the leases and reap the benefits so the money stays within the US borders. (My lease is with Shell, what's done is done.)

I would like see drilling to earnestly produce vs drill to HBP and shut in, begin in less than 5 years.

RE: south vs west

1 The population is more dense in CA so they get more taxes, so they can repair infrastructure faster. It is not true that they finish all of their projects expedetiously, becuse they don't.

2 I was born in raised in the SF Bay area, many times in the top 3 of the most expensive places in the country to live. I love to visit now (living in Oregon), but unless I had to, would never plan on living in that area again.
I have 3 Trader Joes, near me, they are nice, but I do not search them out. A local natural foods store or boutigue grocery/produce store is fine.

3 My Mom worked all her life. She retired on a tiny annuity. She had the homeowner's exemption, and still sweated her annual proprty taxes or any unexpected or large expenditure. She passed away with little left. It was all spent just living in CA. Same with my Dad.

4 CA is very nice if you have a large bankroll and like to rush around all the time. You are either very wealthy or stuggling, there is not much in the middle.

5 CA is almost if not bankrupt, per the 'The Terminator'. I would not laod up the station wagon quite yet.

6 I have only been to Shreveport twice, visit Mansfield, Pelican and other small towns in between. So my opinion has little depth.

7 The people were nice except for the obvious people with let just call it some 'bias'. Doesn't bother me, I don't live there, and the nice people outweighed the others hands down. I pray for the people with those 'biases' that the 'preferred' people have donated blood for them when they need it, the 'preferred' fireman comes and saves their house if they ever need him, the 'preferred' passerby helps their loved ones if they ever need assistance after a crash. Goodness, love and intelligence, money either, does not come from a certain 'preferred' group.

8 CA has its share of 'biased' people too, they just don't overtly show theirs. Their are more underhanded with it. The biggest bias in CA is the haves and the have nots. I guess that's true everywhere though.

9 I have to agree, I was struck by the difference in the roads, not enough street lights, little things like that. The tax base is not as large though so I guess the budget only covers so much.

10 I like the laid back atmosphere in LA and OR.

11 The food is ...I don't know how to describe it, so much better than CA and OR. OR is not a place for southern cooking at all. They don't even know what grits are! OMG Greens, they think that's bok choy! Don't get me started.

All that said, I am a west coast girl forever, more for the spirit of the west and the beaches. I love the ocean!

I hope the shale ultimately brings at least the outward appearance of the NW LA area to the current century but retains the charm and the good parts of the lifestyle.
I am so glad that you saw the true part of Louisiana along with the part that most folks want to just tollerate, or kick aside as to a bad experience. I have seen people that I grew up with at the end of high school, who wanted something different than what they had, this place is not right for me, I need bright lights and concrete, loud music and night life. Most of these sorts turned out unhappy in their lives, don't get me wrong because a very few made it to where they wanted to be in life. For me, I say go the way the wind blows you but never pass judments in your mind, on places that you have been or lived in on just what you feel at that point in time in your life. I love Louisiana, sure we have had a colorful past, but I look for a bright future. When you have been on the bottom for so long, there is nowhere else but up.
Think maybe some of those shale dollars should go to education. A culture that does not value education and derides those that seek it, ultimately pays the price. I too love our state and all the history and culture that makes it unique above all others. We can preserve and celebrate all that makes us unique without continuing the mistakes of the past. Our greatest hypocrisy is bemoaning the "brain drain" and doing nothing substantive to stop it. If I had a nickel for every time someone said, "I wish my children (or grandchildren) could find career opportunities here and not have to move away", I could buy the mineral rights to every foot of shale under all of NW. LA.
KB,
Yeah, and I have a problem with skunks in my yard, and the city tells me I can't shoot them. But they won't trap them, and I don't like them. Can't go out of my house at night. How can you rise to shining place in the sun when you have to worry about a skunk spraying you?

BirdDawg, studing what to do about the skunks
Try getting a dog. And lots of pet shampoo.
Borrow somebody elses dog for a few days.(LOL) Or shoot it with a low power BB gun. Wont kill the animal but will discourage it from hanging around.

Live traps @ Academy Sports are around $40 I believe. Main problem is they aint gonna take that trap back at customer service when you get through with it. Especially if the pole cat's still in there.
Thanks to everyone for the advice. With my luck I'll miss the danged thing and get sprayed.
I have found that they like GATORADE, the sports drink. Geese and peacocks run all the intruders off. I would think that an Arm & Hammer box or two may help get the smell off.

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