Minus Al Gore, Obama mulls environment posts

With his national security and economic teams largely in place, U.S. President-elect Barack Obama is turning his attention to filling top energy and environmental posts, although Nobel Peace laureate Al Gore appears to be out of the mix.

Obama, who takes over for President George W. Bush on Jan. 20, has made it clear his White House tenure will signal a break from his predecessor on climate change and other environmental policy issues.

Two weeks after his victory over Republican John McCain on Nov. 4, the Democrat repeated his intention to cut U.S. greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020 despite the economic crisis.

The message to potential Cabinet and staff picks? These jobs will have a significantly higher profile than previous administrations.