The first step is appointing Secretaries charged with overseeing the environment who are markedly different than those under the Bush Administration. Obama’s picks — Dr. Steven Chu for Energy Secretary, U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar for Interior Secretary, and Lisa Johnson for EPA Chief — raised a few eyebrows on all sides when they were first announced. And while I may harbor some concerns of my own, anyone with even a slight record of voting for or promoting “green” policies shines next to the Bush administration’s failure to enact or enforce worthwhile environmental regulations.

Before his appointment, Chu was best known for his work on clean energy. A professor of Physics at the University of California, Berkeley, and the director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Chu won a Nobel Prize in Physics in 1997. At his confirmation hearing before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources last month, Chu easily maneuvered between the roles of scientist and politician.

Because of the failing economy, Chu backed off his idea to drastically raise gas taxes. He also endorsed (albeit halfheartedly) Obama’s stance on government setting caps on emissions rather than levying a carbon tax to curb them, alleviating worry among critics that he will haphazardly pursue energy goals. Despite these concessions, I am excited about what he will bring to the Department of Energy. Given his scientific knowledge and background, Chu can bring a realistic attitude to the development of renewable energy and biofuels that will allow us to become energy efficient and independent.

Before being tapped by Obama to head the EPA, Jackson was a member of New Jersey Gov. Corzine’s cabinet from 2006 to 2008, serving as Chief of Staff to the Governor and Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. Appearing before the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, Jackson promised to restore scientific and legal integrity to the battered agency, a direct slap at the management under Bush. To drill home the point, Jackson said in her opening statement, “Science must be the backbone of what EPA does. … I understand the laws leave room for policymakers to make policy judgments. But if I am confirmed, political appointees will not compromise the integrity of EPA’s technical experts to advance particular regulatory outcomes.” 

Jackson’s supporters point to her involvement in the passage of the Global Warming Response Act, which aims to cut greenhouse gases in New Jersey 20 percent by 2020 and 80 percent by 2050. Her detractors suggest the law is inadequate and has too many holes through which industries can slip. Critics also take umbrage at her lack of progress on cleaning up New Jersey’s toxic waste, although it seems the real problem lay with a small budget and an uncooperative governor. My hope is that being under Obama’s leadership Jackson will approach environmental issues with the urgency they deserve.

Unlike the Energy Department and EPA, the Department of the Interior is an agency that many Americans are confused about. It is charged with protecting wildlife and endangered species and overseeing development of energy resources. It was also in the news last year because employees were accused of rigging bids, partying with oil company employees and exerting political influence on endangered species decisions.

Salazar has promised to shift the agency’s focus from partying to protecting the animals under its purview.  But still, Salazar came to the nomination process with less support from environmentalists than his colleagues. Although he has fought to preserve public lands and rivers, opposed leasing public lands for commercial oil shale development, and fought against natural gas drilling in Colorado’s picturesque Roan Plateau, there are some who question his environmental credentials. Kieran Suckling, one of the founders of the Center for Biological Diversity, a nonprofit conservation group, described Salazar as a man “who has fought against federal action on global warming, against higher fuel efficiency standards, and for increased oil drilling and oil subsidies.”

Suckling notwithstanding, I believe Salazar’s track record shows potential. I like what he said at his confirmation hearing, telling the senators on the Energy and National Resources Committee that his priorities will be reorienting Interior from a focus on fossil fuel toward alternative energy and following the rule of science.

I look forward to seeing what Chu, Jackson, and Salazar accomplish over the next four years.

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In America, nothing speaks louder than money. When rising gas prices hit $4 this summer, people stopped simply complaining and started changing their lifestyles. They traded in their SUVs for smaller cars, began riding the bus, carpooled and found other ways to soften the blow to their wallets. Now that prices are lower than they have been in four years, I worry that fuel and energy issues will no longer be a national concern, and slowly disappear from the agenda.

You, Mr. Obama, are in a position to make sure this doesn’t happen. The environment is already in critical condition, deteriorating at a constant rate. It is an international issue that must be tackled with aggression and urgency. You need to make alternate and renewable energy, energy efficiency, and sustainability a priority during your presidency.

The United Nations Climate Change Conference in Poland last month presented an opportunity for you to lay the groundwork to establish the United States as a leader in preventing further damage to the environment. Your attendance would have not only signaled to the American public that your promises of “change” are not empty, but have signaled to the world that a new phase has begun in the effort to fight global warming.

While your decision to decline the invitation to Poznan was partly based on your “one-president-at-a-time” philosophy, now is not the time for humility and passivity. The world needs to know that one of the largest industrialized nations supports the treaty meant to replace the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012. Without this affirmation, the climate talks hardly progressed, leaving you with much to deal with in 2009. Despite your absence from the Poland talks, and your unassuming attitude towards your position as president-elect, I am hopeful that your promise to bring significant changes is bona fide and substantial.

Government involvement and guidance are necessary to instigate and implement significant changes on behalf of the environment. Germany has made it a national priority to reduce the country’s negative impact on the climate. America is 27 times the size of Germany–just imagine the difference that America could make if we took the same initiative.

Quick fixes alone cannot completely (if at all) solve the climate crisis. Proposals like carbon capture and sequestering will only allow the same dirty and harmful practices to continue until it is too late. You must put pressure on companies to change immediately and permanently. Businesses will not pursue alternate fuels or renewable energy if they can continue using the same methods of production without immediate consequences. President Bush chose to maintain the status quo. You have an opportunity to redeem the federal government’s reputation in environmental matters.

My other worry is that the economic crisis may provide a reason for some to oppose new environmental laws, policies, and plans. You cannot let Big Oil or other special interests deter you from tackling energy issues. And just think, making climate change a priority will lead to the creation of jobs that can’t be outsourced to India, China, and Mexico. If we want to keep the United States competitive and keep jobs here, jobs in sustainability and energy efficiency are necessary.

The state of the environment is especially important to Generation Y. If you do not deal with the crisis now, it may be too late in four years. The damage will soon be irreversible. No other problems that Generation Y stands to inherit are of the same magnitude as climate change and energy. It is time to stop worrying about today. It is time for the U.S. to step up and set the standard by which all countries will preserve the climate for our future.

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