In a similar vein, Politico reports that Obama “is seriously considering the creation of an Energy Security Council within the White House, according to sources close to the transition.” The article also notes, however, that “A key Obama aide would not confirm the likelihood of a new council.” But though the future is far from certain, further insights can be found at a creative online exercise taking place at The New York Times’s new Green, Inc. blog, where the team invited a roundtable of energy experts to weigh in on what may come.

And finally, it’s well worth checking out the rolling coverage at Grist’s Barack Obama topic page. There, Kate Sheppard reports that “House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), at a press conference on Wednesday, talked up the need for a stimulus package that includes green elements, ideally before Obama even takes office.” And David Roberts makes the smart observation that “Greens are deeply accustomed to believing that politicians are humoring them and will abandon their concerns at the first sign of lobbying … Perhaps, at least for a short while, Obama has earned the presumption of good faith.”

And perhaps he has. But if the last four days are any indication, the press isn’t going to leave it at that (indeed, I’ve only mentioned a fraction of the coverage here; for more, see the round-up at Knight Science Journalism Tracker). Journalists have spent eight years covering Bush’s environmental negligence—and this time they expect real change.

N.B. Anybody that is unfamiliar with the environmental issues that Obama will have to contend with should check out David Biello’s excellent, link-heavy round-up at Scientific American.

• 1
• 2