Barack Obama has hit a snag as he moves towards his, hopefully science-friendly, new administration.
His pick for Commerce Secretary has withdrawn amid allegations of skulduggery and sleaze. Bill Richardson, who was secretary of energy under Bill Clinton, would have had oversight of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and various other important aspects of government science.
Instead he will continue for now to be Governor of New Mexico and to deal with allegations surrounding the fact that that, in AP’s words, “a California company that contributed to Richardson’s political activities won a New Mexico transportation contract worth more than $1 million” (see also: Chronology of key events).
In a statement issued to the press Richardson said, “Let me say unequivocally that I and my Administration have acted properly in all matters and that this investigation will bear out that fact.”
Reaction below the fold.
… while commerce secretary is not typically the most high-profile of cabinet positions … the commerce secretary in the Obama administration will have several important tasks: selling businesses on the new president’s determination to push for energy independence by promoting alternative sources; either finessing the passage of trade agreements negotiated by the Bush administration that Mr. Obama has objected to, or dealing with the consequences of cancelling those treaties; contributing to the debate over how quickly and emphatically to move to fight global warming.
In the end, we suspect that the Richardson nomination will have little impact on the incoming administration, which will be judged on its handling of the much larger problems confronting it. Mr. Richardson’s withdrawal is an unpleasant embarrassment, but it’s an unusual administration that does not confront some trouble with a Cabinet nominee, and the trouble was resolved before it became an issue.
Since NOAA accounts for 65% of the Commerce Department budget, I’ll be paying close attention to what happens next.
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Richardson may have been a good appointment with proven expertise on energy and climate issues, but … NOAA is 65% of Commerce. I’ve wondered about the large block of his campaign donations from real estate developers; folks who don’t generally favor wetlands protection, coastal land use restrictions, or the Endangered Species Act. The Commerce Department has interests in all of these so don’t be too quick to judge. We’ll see who’s nominated next.
Long known as a fan of commercial space, Richardson’s withdrawal could be problematic for commercial space given that another name (among others) rumored to have been under consideration by Obama for a cabinet post was Rep. James Oberstar. In stark contrast to Richardson, Oberstar often deliberately worked against enabling legislation and regulation to facilitate space commercialization via the FAA. That said, odds are that Obama would pick a heavy hitter and known performer for Commerce given the sad state of the economy right now. And of course, space commerce is certainly not an issue involved in any part of the decision making process. Stay tuned.