Innovation First

By Patrick Appel
Eli Kintisch on why the Chu pick is so exciting:

Finally, there's Chu's enthusiastic support for a new energy research concept called [Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E)] – he might have even invented it. The wonky sounding agency was meant to be an unclassified version of DARPA, the Pentagon's risk-taking, blue-sky research arm. The Gathering Storm report, of which Chu was one of the authors, called for the creation of the agency, which would pursue risky energy research with big payoffs. (Chu later was ARPA-E's advocate in congressional testimony and public appearances.) Congress passed a law creating the program within DOE last year, but DOE hasn't appointed a director or tried to fund it. Chu would reverse that policy immediately if Obama lets him, but the president-elect has yet to take a position on ARPA-E.