Reuters: Obama Considering Nat Gas Advocate as Next Energy Secretary

Susan Phillips

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Susan Phillips tells stories about the consequences of political decisions on people's every day lives. She has worked as a reporter for WHYY since 2004. Susan's coverage of the 2008 Presidential election resulted in a story on the front page of the New York Times. In 2010 she traveled to Haiti to cover the earthquake. That same year she produced an award-winning series on Pennsylvania's natural gas rush called "The Shale Game." She received a 2013 Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Journalism Award for her work covering natural gas drilling in Pennsylvania. She has also won several Edward R. Murrow awards for her work with StateImpact. In 2013/14 she spent a year at MIT as a Knight Science Journalism Fellow. She has also been a Metcalf Fellow, an MBL Logan Science Journalism Fellow and reported from Marrakech on the 2016 climate talks as an International Reporting Project Fellow. A graduate of Columbia School of Journalism, she earned her Bachelor's degree in International Relations from George Washington University.

February 8, 2013 | 11:49 AM

Reuters is reporting that President Obama is considering Ernest Moniz as the Energy Secretary to replace Steven Chu, who announced his resignation last week. Moniz is considered more supportive to oil and gas producers than Chu. More from Reuters:

Chu had been criticized for ignoring the huge U.S. boom in oil and gas development as he focused on spurring renewable energy.
Moniz would bring scientific acumen to the job, but he also has worked closely with industry and promoted natural gas as a “bridge fuel” to lower carbon pollution while new innovative forms of energy are being developed.
In July 2011, Moniz told the Senate Energy committee that he believes the water and air pollution risks associated with hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking” were “challenging but manageable” with appropriate regulation and oversight.