Environmental Law Prof Blog: And the winner is......

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January 24, 2009

And the winner is......

Way back on Election Day I made my prognostications about the Green Team. The most important omissions -- an energy and environment czar and the CEQ chair. I didn't know about the plan to have a top policy advisor, although it makes infinite sense. I don't know why I didn't do CEQ -- I guess because I haven't perceived CEQ as the source of real power on the environment. And I don't think that will change with Obama, especially with Browner in the top policy advisor role. So, at any rate, here are the winners. Again, you can see why I don't gamble in Las Vegas or anywhere else!

Here are some predictions/picks on the Cabinet positions of most significance to environmental matters according to Politico's semi-official leaks. My picks and comments are in green. Results are in red.

Attorney general: Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine; Eric Holder, who was deputy AG under Clinton and is now with Covington & Burling and led Obama’s vice presidential search; Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick; Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano. Odds on favorite is Holder Score one for the home team

Supreme Court nominee: Washington superlawyer Robert Barnett; legal scholar Cass Sunstein; Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick; 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Sonia Sotomayor of New York; Elena Kagan, dean of Harvard Law School. Consensus is it would most likely be a woman. First nominee has got to be a woman - Kagan is smart and has credibility, but this is a much shorter list than Obama will look at. Nope - Solicitor General instead, but give her a couple of years at Justice and she's teed up for a trip to the Court

Secretary of State: New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson; Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.); Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind) State is too important to give to a Republican, Kerry's too valuable in the Senate, and Richardson was UN Ambassador so he knows international diplomacy Boy, did I blow it. Clinton was an obvious and brilliant choice.

Environmental Protection Agency administrator: Former Sen. Lincoln Chafee (R-R.I.); Kathleen McGinty, former head of the Pennsylvania Environmental Protection Agency Again, McGinty is an odds on favorite who knows her stuff Not even close -- Lisa Jackson wasn't on the short list even.

Commerce secretary: Penny Pritzker, Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) Need some Republicans and Olympia Snowe is a liberal one; although she's more valuable in the Senate. So maybe one of the non-environmental positions will go to a Republican and Obama will stick with a Democrat. I'd take Sebelius -- she's articulate and mid-Western. This is a black box question mark now that Richardson's out of the running along with Sebelius.

Secretary of the Interior: Rep. Jay Inslee (D-Wash.), Robert F. Kennedy Jr. This is the position most likely to go to someone who hasn't been in the running.Well, I didn't get Salazar's name, but I did figure out that the right name wasn't obvious.

Secretary of Energy: California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R), Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.); My pick would be Lincoln Chafee, a liberal Republican who understands environmental issues as well as energy issues. Again, Bingaman's too valuable in the Senate. Way, way, way, way wrong!!! Chu's a far better choice than I would ever have imagined.

Secretary of Agriculture: Former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, Rep. Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) Vilsack is odds on favorite. OK, got this one