Energy Secretary nominee breezes through committee vote, Planet Ark, 19-Apr-13 by Ayesha Rascoe - Energy Secretary nominee Ernest Moniz easily cleared his first hurdle in the Senate on Thursday, securing nearly unanimous support from the chamber’s energy committee.
With a vote of 21 to 1 in favor of the pick, Moniz’s nomination will move on for consideration by the full Senate. It is unclear when that will take place, but Moniz is widely expected to be confirmed.
Moniz, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, would replace Energy Secretary Steven Chu who announced earlier this year that he was stepping down…… Some environmentalists have criticized Moniz’ nomination, saying he was too supportive of shale gas and nuclear power.
Moniz is director of MIT’s Energy Initiative, which received funding from companies such as BP, Chevron and Saudi Aramco for academic work …. http://planetark.org/enviro-news/item/68455
