Would Barack Obama convene a National Energy Council? The chances appear to be good. Such a council's first task, CAP says, "should be to support the president in preparing energy legislation for delivery to Capitol Hill within 60 days of the inauguration:"
"The Council's mission will be to coordinate the relevant policy of all the agencies of the federal government, outreach with states, localities, and the private sector, and U.S. leadership and partnership in international efforts to reduce global emissions," CAP writes.
Dan Weiss, director of climate strategy at the CAP Action Fund, says the council would be based on the model of the National Economic Council, which Bill Clinton created via executive order in 1993. It would bring together top officials from relevant agencies -- the Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Interior, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Agriculture, the Council on Environmental Quality -- as well as leaders from the National Economic Council and the National Security Council, in the interest of coordinating work on energy and climate issues.
John Podesta, who is heading up Obama's transition team, has been in favor of a National Energy Council. His organization, the Center for American Progress, has outlined who they think who would be on a National Energy Council:
* Secretary of State
* Secretary of Treasury
* Secretary of Defense
* Attorney General
* Secretary of the Interior
* Secretary of Agriculture
* Secretary of Commerce
* Secretary of Labor
* Secretary of Health and Human Services
* Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
* Secretary of Transportation
* Secretary of Energy
* Secretary of Homeland Security
* Chair, Council on Environmental Quality
* Chair, National Security Council
* Chair, National Economic Council
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