Steven Chu

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6 Nuke Waste Tanks Leaking in Wash. State

Gov. Jay Inslee: 'I am alarmed about this'

(Newser) - Scary news in Washington state: Radioactive waste is leaking from at least six tanks at a nuclear site 185 miles southeast of Seattle, AFP reports. Gov. Jay Inslee met with US Energy Secretary Steven Chu about it in Washington, DC, when the Department of Energy announced the leaks on Friday....

Energy Secretary Steven Chu Leaving, Too

He will leave as soon as his successor gets confirmed

(Newser) - President Obama has another Cabinet post to fill: Energy Secretary Steven Chu is stepping down as soon as a successor is confirmed by the Senate, reports Politico . Chu is a Nobel winner in physics who made green spending a priority, even if it occasionally backfired, as in the Solyndra debacle...

Obama Plans Drastic Cabinet Shake-Up

Clinton, Geithner, Panetta, Holder all could be gone

(Newser) - After a first term almost devoid of Cabinet shakeups, President Obama is now working on plans to replace virtually his entire team. Hillary Clinton and Tim Geithner have both publicly announced their exits, but Leon Panetta, Eric Holder, Ray LaHood, Steven Chu, Ken Salazaar, and Lisa Jackson are all expected...

Chu: Solyndra Wasn't About Politics

Energy chief defends loan to Congress

(Newser) - Energy Secretary Steven Chu offered a spirited defense of his department’s loan guarantees to Solyndra today, telling Congress that the loan program is necessary to keep US alternative energy companies competitive, and insisting that he didn’t know Solyndra was connected to a major Obama fundraiser, the Washington Post...

Energy Sec Slammed in Solyndra Mess

Too much science, not enough politics at Energy Dept., say critics

(Newser) - The ugly tanking of government-funded solar-energy company Solyndra has many people questioning whether Energy Secretary Steven Chu can handle the job, reports Politico . "Just because you are a Nobel Prize-winning physicist doesn't mean you'd be a good orthopedic surgeon," criticized a Bush-era Energy Department official. "...

Obama Jokes About Nobel Peace Prize

Energy secretary 'actually deserved' his prize, president quips

(Newser) - President Obama made light of his increasingly controversial Nobel Peace Prize during a speech on energy. He praised the efforts of Energy Secretary Steven Chu before quipping: "Chu’s the right guy to do this, he’s got a Nobel prize in physics—he actually deserved his Nobel prize,...

BP Resumes Effort to Plug Leak

After another unannounced suspension

(Newser) - BP resumed its "top kill" operation late this afternoon after the second straight day of an unannounced suspension and mixed messages. They continue to say they will need 24 to 48 hours for a final verdict. Energy Secretary Steven Chu tells the Washington Post there's "some evidence" that...

US Warms to 'Cool' White Roofs
US Warms
to 'Cool'
White Roofs

US Warms to 'Cool' White Roofs

Homes, businesses cut AC costs as energy sec proselytizes

(Newser) - White roofs, which energy efficiency advocates have been pushing for 20 years, are finally catching on with homeowners and business across the country, the New York Times reports. The object of a campaign by Energy Secretary Steven Chu, so-called "cool roofs," which absorb less sunlight, can cut AC...

Energy Chief: Paint World White to Stop Warming

Chu calls for 'new revolution' to combat climate change

(Newser) - A colossal coat of paint could do as much to slow global warming as removing all cars from the Earth for 11 years, Energy Secretary Steven Chu told a climate change conference yesterday. Chu said painting roofs white and making roads a lighter color—which would reflect heat and reduce...

White House Staffer Caught Flu in Mexico

(Newser) - An administration staffer who worked at a dinner President Obama attended during his trip to Mexico likely contracted the H1N1 virus there, the Washington Post reports. The unnamed Energy Department security worker has since transmitted the flu to his wife, son, and nephew, though he has been cleared of the...

Free Trade Under Fire as Protectionism Surges

November's G-20 agreement is abandoned as nations erect commerce barriers

(Newser) - The global recession has protectionism making a comeback, the New York Times reports, dimming hopes that leaders can create lasting solutions to the crisis at April’s Group of 20 economic summit in London. The last G-20 meeting, held in November, yielded an agreement to promote free trade that was...

Warming Will Wipe Out Calif. Agriculture: Energy Sec.

Top US producer faces disaster without swift action on climate change

(Newser) - Energy Secretary Steven Chu sees dire effects of global warming, particularly on his home state of California, he tells the Los Angeles Times. Some 90% of the snow in the Sierra Nevada mountains, a vital storehouse for water used in farming and cultivation, could disappear, he said. “We’re...

7 Nominees Confirmed; Clinton Vote Tomorrow

(Newser) - The Senate met after the inauguration today and promptly confirmed seven of President Obama’s nominees by unanimous vote, with the notable exception of Hillary Clinton, the Chicago Tribune reports. A vote on Clinton has been scheduled for tomorrow after Harry Reid and Sen. John Cronyn, who has concerns about...

Chu Vows to Boost Energy Efficiency

(Newser) - Energy Secretary-designate Steven Chu told a Senate panel today that he would pursue an expansion of nuclear and clean coal power if confirmed, Politico reports. Chu had been criticized for calling coal “my worst nightmare.” Barack Obama has also been vague about his nuclear energy policy. But while...

In DC, Powerful California Is the New Texas
In DC, Powerful California
Is the New Texas
ANALYSIS

In DC, Powerful California Is the New Texas

State best represented in Congress, holds key Cabinet, Senate posts

(Newser) - California is set to take over Texas’ role as the state with most influence on the federal government, Politico reports. With Nancy Pelosi as House Speaker, the largest number of representatives—34—in the Democratic caucus, and one of the strongest presences by state in Barack Obama’s administration, the...

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