Calling Dr. Chu

Calling Dr. Chu

Darrell Delamaide

Since the Department of Energy was founded in 1977, it has been headed by an economist, a businessman, a retired admiral, an engineer turned financier, and several lawyers and politicians. It has been part of the presidential spoils -- a home for a defeated senator like Spencer Abraham -- and a safe way to diversify the cabinet with an African-American, a Lebanese-American and a couple of Hispanics.

It has been a province of Washington insiders. The first two secretaries, James Schlesinger and Charles Duncan, had been secretary of defense, and several others held another cabinet position before or after serving at Energy. Journeyman politician Bill Richardson -- a congressman, an ambassador, a governor, presidential candidate and almost-secretary of commerce -- served a stint.

So Steven Chu, a Nobel Prize-winning nuclear physicist who has spent his career in research and academics, is something of a departure as President Barack Obama's choice for the 12th energy secretary. He is the first scientist to head DOE and the second Nobel laureate, if you count Henry Kissinger, to serve in the cabinet.

It's about getting someone in there with a science background. But don't underestimate the political pressures.

A champion of the fight against global warming and an advocate for energy efficiency, Chu, as head of DOE's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, most recently led research on alternative energy sources. He favors carbon-free nuclear power over coal for electricity generation, but sees issues with both as they await technology to take care of nuclear waste and carbon emissions.

The utility industry opted to accentuate the positive in its comments on the selection of Chu and other energy policy officials in the new administration. "Steven Chu is a world-class scientist whose innovative approach bodes well for the Department of Energy," said Tom Kuhn, president of the Edison Electrical Institute. Kuhn cited Chu's work on renewable energies and energy efficiency as goals supported by the industry.

Chu is part of the Obama energy team that includes Carol Browner as energy and climate czar, coordinating policy in the White House, as well as Lisa Jackson as head of the Environmental Protection Agency and Nancy Sutley as head of the Council on Environmental Quality.

The question about Chu is whether a mild-mannered academic can survive the Darwinian struggle inside the Beltway. At his confirmation hearing in January, Chu was one of seven cabinet members approved by voice vote in the Senate just prior to Obama's inauguration. Despite his lack of political acumen, Chu proved himself adept at fielding questions and offering pragmatic answers.

A Gentler Hand?

When Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina expressed concern about DOE's high-handed use of its authority to designate transmission corridors, Chu suggested it might be possible to try "a gentler approach," and rely on negotiation. "What you really want to do is to make these things happen as quickly as possible," Chu said.

Even some in the utility industry say that the aggressive tactics used in the past by the Energy Department and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission have so far not resulted in any new transmission capacity being built in these corridors.

Chu put his widely quoted remark about coal being his worst nightmare in context. He meant that if coal continued to be burned as it is now, particularly in countries like China, India and Russia with large coal reserves and rapidly expanding economies, then the environmental price would be too high. The answer, he said in January, is to continue research on capturing and sequestering carbon emissions, in the knowledge that these countries, like the United States, would continue to rely on coal.

Likewise, while research must continue into the recycling of nuclear fuel, the United States should start now to build new nuclear power plants, Chu testified, adding that energy efficiency is also vital. "The biggest thing we can do is slow up building new power plants. That will be the lowest-hanging fruit for the next few decades."

In a Nova special on California's energy policies that was televised by PBS in January, Chu addresses the question of whether measures to conserve energy or find new sources will add to household costs for energy. He acknowledges that it is possible, but says that in the case of California, residents have chosen to take that chance.

On the other hand, he says that when new standards were set for refrigerators there was concern that it would lead to higher costs. But the cost of refrigerators has gone down in inflation-adjusted terms. "When all is said and done, the engineers were amazingly good at keeping the prices down," Chu said.

It requires a certain political will to overcome industry objections to changes. "As long as the lawyers and the lobbyists are part of this, progress isn't gonna be made," Chu said in the Nova special, which was filmed last spring. "As soon as both sides of the aisle, the Republicans and the Democrats, say, 'Sorry, it's gonna happen,' it's then assigned to the engineers. And then progress is made."

There are challenges and concerns about energy and the environment. "But on the other hand -- and this goes to my core as a scientist -- you have to remain optimistic," Chu says. "There's no physical law that says we can't be smart enough to use the limited resources we do have on Earth in a sustainable way, and that the population of 9 or 10 billion people that are predicted can't enjoy the standard of living you and I enjoy today."