Steven Chu, a Nobel laureate in physics who is the director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, is President-elect Barack Obama’s pick for energy secretary, Reuters reported, citing Democratic officials. A formal nomination is expected to come “in the days ahead,” the news agency said.
Mr. Chu was an early advocate of seeking scientific solutions to climate change, Reuters said. The president-elect has often said that policies to reduce global warming and to encourage the development of alternative energy sources are among his top priorities. During the presidential campaign, Mr. Obama proposed spending $15-billion a year on energy-related research, some of which would presumably go to colleges and universities.
The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory was named in 2007 as one of three recipients of a $500-million grant from the energy giant BP for research on the development of alternative energy sources. In the wake of that announcement, Mr. Chu argued that such partnerships with industry are becoming crucial for university research.
On Thursday, Mr. Obama is expected to formally announce the nomination of Thomas A. Daschle, the former U.S. Senate majority leader, as the next secretary of health and human services.
The job would give Mr. Daschle oversight of a $700-billion budget that finances 11 agencies, including the National Institutes of Health. The secretary is also expected to play a key role in Mr. Obama’s efforts to expand health-care coverage. —Sara Hebel
