Science Chief Discusses Climate Strategy

The Obama administration might agree to auction only a portion of the emissions allowances granted at first under a cap-and-trade system to limit greenhouse gas pollution, White House science adviser John P. Holdren said yesterday, a move that would please electric utilities and manufacturers but could anger environmentalists. For weeks the president's assistant on energy and climate change, Carol M. Browner, has convened regular meetings with roughly a dozen key administration officials to develop national energy and climate policy. They include Holdren; the secretaries of agriculture, commerce, energy, housing and urban development, interior, and transportation; and the heads of the Environmental Protection Agency and the White House's Council on Environmental Quality, National Economic Council, Council of Economic Advisers and Office of Management and Budget. The group, whose deputies meet at least once a week, has explored questions such as how to pursue offshore wind energy, agricultural practices and a new national greenhouse gas emissions standard for vehicles...Washington Post