Barack Obama officially announced today that he is nominating New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (D) to be his secretary of commerce. (See our reporting on Richardson’s green record from last week.)
In his announcement, Obama cited Richardson’s work on energy as an important factor. “As a former secretary of energy, Bill understands the steps we must take to build a new, clean-energy industry and create the green jobs of the 21st century — jobs that pay well and won’t be shipped overseas, jobs that will help us end our dependence on foreign oil,” Obama said.
At the Commerce Department, Richardson will also oversee the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which handles fisheries and a good deal of atmospheric science research, among other things.
