New Energy Secretary Bill Richardson yesterday met for the first time with Energy Department employees and outlined an "aggressive agenda" to revive a "sense of activism" at the department (H. Josef Hebert, AP/Washington Times).
Richardson "said he wanted to turn Energy into a leader on some of the White House's highest priorities," such as global climate change, electricity deregulation and development of Caspian Sea oil. He promised to organize an office of consumer affairs to offer information about energy-efficient products and services and pledged to improve the department's relations with environmental and public health groups, business leaders and contractors. Richardson: "My objective here is to ... restore the department's luster [and] show how relevant it is to the American people."
DOE employees, "who have been rocked by downsizing, budget cuts, and at one point, a congressional effort to dismantle the agency, appeared to give Richardson a warm reception." Richardson said he plans to spend about 90% of his time on DOE responsibilities while he remains both Energy secretary and UN ambassador. The administration hopes to have the paperwork ready for the Senate to confirm Richard Holbrooke to replace Richardson at the UN when senators return from summer recess on Sept. 2 (Stephen Barr, Washington Post).
"Of immediate concern" to Richardson is the department's budget, "which is working its way through Congress" (USA Today). Several nonprofit groups and trade associations "say provisions inserted by congressional Republicans in the [DOE's] budget could force hundreds of organizations to shut down because the federal agency's ability to award them contracts would be limited."
"For more than a decade, the DOE has parceled out contracts and grants" to energy trade groups and associations that assist with agency-sponsored programs, conferences and trade missions. But the DOE is "under increasing pressure to funnel more of its energy-efficiency contracts to private firms through competitive bidding." Republicans have criticized the current contracts, "saying the money is being used to pay operating expenses of the organizations."
Opponents "say the legislation would steer work to private contractors that will charge the federal government more money." In recent weeks, trade groups have met with White House officials and Republicans aides to lobby against the proposed changes. The DOE is working "to refine the language so that the legislation will affect fewer groups" (Judith Evans, Washington Post).
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