OBAMA SEC/ENERGY CHU TESTIFIES, CONFIRMATION EXPECTED

Dr. Steven Chu’s nomination as President-elect Obama’s Secretary of Energy is widely regarded as symbolic of the incoming President’s commitment to science. Dr. Chu is no ordinary scientist. Introduced by Senator Diane Feinstein (D-Calif) as “one of the great brilliant thinkers,” he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for work with lasers.

Nothing could be more dramatic than the way Dr. Chu began his testimony. His first sentence was a long-awaited acknowledgement of global climate change: “Climate change is a growing and pressing problem. It is now clear that if we continue on our current path, we run the risk of dramatic, disruptive changes to our climate system in the lifetimes of our children and grandchildren.”

Next came the requisite announcement of a concern with oil dependence: “At the same time, we face immediate threats to our economy and our national security that stem from our dependence on oil…We must make a greater, more committed push towards energy independence and with it a more secure energy system.”

Chu then summarized the Obama energy plan: (1) more New Energy and Energy Efficiency, (2) more fuel efficient and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), (3) R&D for New Energy and carbon capture and storage (CCS) coal technologies, (4)nuclear energy with waste solutions, (5) responsible development of U.S. oil and natural gas reserves, (6) new, smart transmission and (7) a cap-and-trade system. He conceded his commitment to it: “It will be my primary goal as Secretary to make the Department of Energy a leader in these critical efforts.”

The real unknowns about Dr. Chu’s candidacy have to do with his abilities as an administrator and his ability to handle the responsibilities for the U.S. nuclear weapons arsenal and for management of U.S. nuclear energy facilities that fall under the Department of Energy (DOE).

Chu described his management experience at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab (LBNL) and how he would apply it as Secretary of Energy: “As Director of this 4,000-person organization for the last four years, I have worked to focus the lab on our energy problems…I have challenged some of the best scientists at the Berkeley lab to turn their attention to the energy and climate change problem and to bridge the gap between the mission- oriented science that the Office of Science does so well and the applied research that leads to energy innovation. I have also worked to partner with academia and industry…I want to extend this approach to an even greater extent throughout the Department’s network of National Laboratories where 30,000 scientists and engineers are at work performing cutting-edge research.”

Although managing bureaucrats is likely more challenging than managing scientists, Dr. Chu’s Nobel-winning intellect, surely facing its greatest challenge, may prove equal to the task.

His approach to the DOE nuclear responsibilities was stirring: “I am committed to working with the President, the National Laboratories, other agencies, Congress and other organizations in the community to assure a safe and reliable nuclear stockpile and to address proliferation concerns as part of a long-run vision of a world without nuclear weapons…The Department also has legal and moral obligations to clean up the wastes left over from 50 years of nuclear weapons production…Cleanup of these materials is a complicated, expensive, long-term project, but I pledge to you to do my best to accelerate these efforts in order to protect human health and the environment, and to return contaminated lands to beneficial use.”

Many of the committee’s questions for Dr. Chu seemed to focus on pinning down his ideas about nuclear energy. His replies were carefully worded. He acknowledged the appeal of nuclear in a carbon constrained world but was careful to stress the ongoing problem of nuclear waste.

A sample of the Chu testimony: “…the Department of Energy has an obligation, a legal obligation, to safely dispose, provide a plan that allows the safe disposal of this nuclear waste. And indeed I am supportive of the fact that the nuclear industry is, should have to be part of our energy mix in this century. And so, in going forward with that, we do need a plan on how to dispose of that waste safely, over a long period of time. There’s a lot of new science that’s coming to the fore and I pledge, as Secretary of Energy, that I would work with the members of this committee to try to use the best possible scientific analysis to try to figure out a way that we can go forward on nuclear disposal…”

Though proponents and opponents will parse his statements ad infinitum, it would be most accurate to describe Dr. Chu’s testimony as “politic” and “diplomatic.” Whenever possible, Chu filled testimony time with the hopefulness of scientific possibility, as in his jargonistic lapses into descriptions of LBNL biofuels research.

A perfectly exemplary sample of Dr. Chu's testimony. From Senator MenendezNJ via YouTube.

It is likely reports will characterize Chu's answers to the Senators’ questions as endorsements of most energy sources. The truth is he was pretty equivocal about almost everything and acknowledged the need for energy sources that can be developed and generated in an economically feasible and environmentally safe and responsible manner. Wisely, his strongest endorsement was reserved for Energy Efficiencies.

Dr. Chu did not completely commit himself to new investment in anything but R&D for energies that CANNOT be developed and generated in an economically feasible and environmentally safe and responsible manner. That includes coal, nuclear and offshore drilling for petroleum products.

Dr. Chu hinted at his vision in a reference to a report he recently co-authored: “I was proud to be a member of the committee that produced the report Rising Above the Gathering Storm … The over-arching message of that report is simple: the key to America’s prosperity in the 21st century lies in our ability to nurture and grow our nation’s intellectual capital, particularly in science and technology. As the largest supporter of the physical sciences in the U.S., the Department of Energy plays an essential role in the training, development and employment of our current and future corps of scientists and engineers.”

He summarized his own responsibilities as 2 tasks: “...my efforts as Secretary will be unified by a common goal: improving management and program implementation.”







Statement of Steven Chu, Secretary of Energy-Designate
January 13, 2009 (Before the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, U.S. Senate)

WHO
Steven Chu, Secretary of Energy-Designate/Nobel laureate in Physics/former Director, Larence Berkeley National Lab; Jeff Bingaman (D-New Mexico), Chairman, and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Ranking Member, Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources; President-elect Barack Obama

WHAT
Dr. Chu’s nomination hearing for the Secretary of Energy position in President-elect Obama’s cabinet was a wide-ranging discussion of energy topics and went smoothly.

Dr. Chu describes climate change as "Titanic - The Sequel" and explains the urgency of fighting it now in brilliantly simple terms. From CCCWebEditor via YouTube.

WHEN
- Testimony was January 13, 2009. His confirmation is not expected to be controversial or delayed.
- Dr. Chu directed LBNL from 2004 to 2008.
- Dr. Chu Nobel prize recognition was in 1997.

WHERE
- In clarifying a widely quoted previous remark that coal-fired energy is his “worst nightmare, Chu told the committee that proliferation of coal as an electricity generation source in the U.S., India and China is “…a pretty bad dream.”
- Dr. Chu also worked with Bell Labs and at Stanford University.

WHY
- The Obama energy plan, as Chu summarized it: More wind, solar, geothermal, and other New Energy sources; increased Energy Efficiency; Fuel efficient vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs); R&D investment carbon capture and storage (CCS) coal technology; nuclear energy with long-term waste management and disposal; responsible development of U.S. oil and natural gas reserves; increased New Energy R&D; new, smart transmission; and a cap-and-trade system.
- Dr. Chu emphasized the importance and urgency of DOE’s responsibilities in managing nuclear energy, nuclear waste, nuclear contamination and nuclear weapons proliferation but approved the use of existing loan guarantees for the building of new nuclear plants that meet the criteria.
- On the use of coal, Dr. Chu said the U.S. should develop “clean” coal technology.
- In the first questions he fielded, Dr. Chu offered assurance of his intent to put economic stimulus funds for energy projects to work quickly.
- He described the building of new transmission for New Energy as “…a national concern.”
- Dr. Chu’s comments on cap-and-trade acknowledged the potential for such a system to be too complicated to be effective.
- He supported the use of stimulus package funds for the clean-up of the half-century old nuclear spill disaster site at Hanford, Washington.

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QUOTES
- Steven Chu, Secretary of Energy-designate: “I do not underestimate the difficulty of meeting these challenges. But I remain optimistic that we can meet them. I believe in the dynamism of our country and our economy. And as a scientist, I am ever-optimistic about our ability to expand the boundaries of what is possible.”
- Steven Chu, Secretary of Energy-designate: “…I commit to you that I will provide strong, focused, energetic leadership for the many missions of this Department…I look forward to a new chapter of collaboration with this committee and others in Congress as we embark on an ambitious, and urgent, mission to move to a sustainable, economically prosperous, and secure energy future. The challenges we face will require bipartisan cooperation and sustained effort. I know that President-elect Obama is committed to exactly this kind of effort…”
- Senator Evan Bayh (D-Indiana): "Any man that can work at both Cal-Berkeley and Stanford has to be adept at forming consensus."