FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 10, 2008
CONTACT:
Brian Kennedy (202) 346-8826
Chris Tucker (202) 346-8825
IER Statement on Appointment of Nancy Sutley to Head Obama Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ)
Washington, DC – Institute for Energy Research (IER) president Thomas J. Pyle released the following statement this morning in response to published reports indicating the president-elect will appoint Los Angeles deputy mayor Nancy Sutley to serve as chairman of the White House’s Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ):
“Though a little-known office to most Americans, the chairmanship of the president’s Council on Environmental Quality is among the most important positions in the executive branch – especially on the crucial issues of energy affordability and availability. And given the incoming administration’s stated intention to use the Clean Air Act as a vehicle to restructure our economy and punish those who produce carbon-based jobs for carbon-based workers, the role the Council will play in the day-to-day lives of American families is likely to see a significant, and potentially harmful, expansion.
“With that in mind, advocates of responsibly developing America’s abundant homegrown energy reserves had hoped the new president would use the CEQ appointment to send a signal to the country and the world that securing our nation’s energy future will be a top priority of his administration. The apparent selection of Ms. Sutley for this important post does not appear to meet this mandate, though we remain hopeful that her tenure during this critical time will prove to be a successful one for our nation.”
NOTE: Currently the deputy mayor for energy and environment for the city of Los Angeles, Ms. Sutley previously served on the California State Water Resources Control Board and as Gov. Gray Davis’s energy advisor during the state’s rolling blackouts of 2000 and 2001. Sutley also served as a special assistant to EPA administrator Carol Browner during the Clinton administration.
The Institute for Energy Research (IER) is a not-for-profit organization that conducts intensive research and analysis on the functions, operations, and government regulation of global energy markets. IER maintains that freely-functioning energy markets provide the most efficient and effective solutions to today’s global energy and environmental challenges and, as such, are critical to the well-being of individuals and society.
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www.InstituteforEnergyResearch.org
