Ernest Moniz, President Obama’s pick to replace Steven Chu as secretary, is a pragmatic choice. An MIT professor of physics and engineering systems and the head of the MIT Energy Initiative, Moniz believes climate change is a problem and he has the support of the Environmental Defense Fund. Yet he can work closely with the fossil fuel industry—MITEI’s founding members are major oil and gas companies—BP, Shell, Eni, and Saudi Aramco. And Moniz is no stranger to Washington, having served as associate director for science in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
Supporters of shale gas will no doubt take comfort in the nomination. Under Moniz’s leadership, MITEI supported a report on natural gas that was influential in the debate on fracking, in part, because it was one of the earliest in-depth reports considering the shale gas boon in the United States. It concluded that fracking can be done relatively safely if proper procedures are followed. It also talks about the key role for natural gas as a “bridge” fuel that will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by displacing coal while renewables and other low-carbon sources of energy are being developed.
Additionally, nuclear power might get renewed emphasis under Moniz. He chaired a key MIT report on nuclear energy, which speaks of nuclear as an important part of any viable plan to cut carbon dioxide emissions.
Don’t settle for half the story.
Get paywall-free access to technology news for the here and now.
