Obama Picks Team To Fight For Environment

The president-elect of the United States, Barack Obama, has selected scientist Steven Chu who has been nominated for the Nobel Prize in Physics, as the next US environmental and energy cabinet appointee.

Chu will now be in charge of a massive $24 billion budget that will look to cap greenhouse gasses as well as develop renewable energy, and as a side effect create jobs

The scientist is the right person to meet the challenges of the future of US energy policy, Obama said in Chicago.

At the same time, the future U.S. president announced plans to create a new office for the coordination of Energy, Climate and Environmental Policy at the White House.

The post will be filled by the previous boss of the Agency for Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Carol Browner.

Basically, Obama, who assumes the presidency on January 20, said that in his new policy there will be no opposition between the goals of economic growth and environmental protection.

He also said that there is no contradiction between economic growth and sound environmental practices.

Chu, the son of Chinese immigrants, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics together with two colleagues for their work on cooling atoms.

On repeated occasions, the future president stressed that environmental protection and modern technologies, like solar and cars with low fuel consumption, could create millions of jobs.

Chu helped to secure $500million from BP for research into renewable energy research.

He also ran a research programme looking into storing solar power at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Obama also announced that the new director of the EPA is the former director of the environmental protection authority of the state of New Jersey, Lisa Jackson.

In the past she has been credited with pushing forward many environmentally friendly pieces of legislation in New Jersey.