Obama Said to Pick Nobel Laureate Chu as Energy Chief

Dec. 11 (Bloomberg) -- Nobel laureate Steve Chu is Barack Obama’s choice to head the Department of Energy as the president-elect rounds out his energy and environmental team, a person close to the transition said.

The president-elect will name Chu, director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, as the country’s 12th energy secretary next week, along with other key energy and environmental posts, Democratic aides said.

Obama aims to complete his Cabinet appointments by the end of next week before he leaves for vacation. Today he named former South Dakota Senator Tom Daschle to head the Department of Health and Human Services and oversee a new White House office that will coordinate health-care policy. Obama says the current economic turmoil makes it more urgent to overhaul the country’s energy sector and health-care system.

Obama urged to fund watchdog agencies

Agencies charged with protecting public health and natural resources from pollution - the EPA, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Geological Survey and the Consumer Product Safety Commission - suffered drastic budget cuts or were thwarted from carrying out their missions, the groups say.

At the same time that the Environmental Protection Agency allowed businesses to reduce reporting of toxic waste releases, it and other agencies also eliminated or downsized more than a dozen essential monitoring programs, according to researchers at environmental groups that have asked Obama to redress the problems.

Representatives of the EPA didn't respond to general criticisms of the agency's past performance in protecting the public, but a spokesman for Obama's transition team said the new administration will address the issues.

Biofuels may harm environment

Extensive cultivation of biofuel crops, aimed at reducing the greenhouse gas or carbon emissions, have posed the "risk of ultimately harming the environment", experts have said.

Scientists taking part in an ecology conference in Panama City said that deforestation and land-use changes for biofuel crops are harming environment as much as fossil fuels like coal and petroleum, EFE reported on Sunday.

The forum was organised by the Panama-based Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI).

STRI scientist William Laurance said the diversion of farm belts to biofuel crops also is leading to large increases in the prices of corn, soy and palm oil.

"Looking 30 years ahead, creating energy with palm oil will reduce carbon emissions by 30 tons per hectare, but that doesn't take into account forest loss," said biologist Renton Righelato of the organization World Land Trust, which protects habitats at risk.

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.

Business, the Environment and … Coffee Machines

It seems the business of making coffee is becoming increasingly elaborate. One manifestation of this is the global success of the Nespresso brand of coffee and coffee makers.

Fans of Nespresso love the convenience and neatness, and they say the disposable capsules deliver a superior taste. Detractors say the packaging creates waste and that keeping the coffee machines warm is a further drain on the electricity grid.

Now it seems that there may be other concerns about high-end coffee machines.

Water in the reservoir of 17 deluxe machines made by Cimbali, an Italian company, has been found by European Union officials and other experts to contain elevated levels of lead and nickel.