Former EPA chief will orchestrate Obama's efforts to achieve his ambitious goals on energy.

[kristopher]

Carol Browner: Power Player
Former EPA chief will orchestrate Obama's efforts to achieve his ambitious goals on energy.

"...Browner told National Journal that Obama created her White House position because he "is serious about confronting climate and energy challenges quickly and strategically. And he recognizes that this will require his personal engagement and close coordination across the government." To achieve that coordination, she continued in written responses to NJ's questions, Obama "put together a team of people that will be focused on energy and climate-change policy, including a senior adviser in the White House."

By bringing Browner, 53, into his inner circle and handing her a huge portfolio, Obama clearly touched a nerve among some Republicans, conservative pundits, and business lobbyists. During Browner's eight-year tenure as the country's top environmental regulator, she imposed tough controls on coal-fired power plants and required cities to dramatically reduce their air pollution. Critics accused her of ignoring the costs involved. "She was a very polarizing figure," said Max Schulz, a senior policy adviser at the Energy Department during the first half of the Bush administration and now a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute's Center for Energy Policy and the Environment. "She's a true believer, activist, and environmentalist."

To her fans, those labels aren't pejorative..."

[Muttocracy]

1. o my word, and "environmentalist" working on environmental issues

how terrifying for them.

[AZCat]

2. Right on!

It will be nice to have Browner back in the mix.