Energy Secretary Steven Chu, who is soon to depart the Obama administration, as chosen to be the one Cabinet member to skip President Barack Obama's State of the Union address.
Traditionally, one Cabinet member does not travel to the House chamber for the speech in order to preserve the government and keep it functioning in case of a major calamity.
Members of Congress, the Cabinet and the Supreme Court typically attend the annual event.
Chu, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist, announced earlier this month that he is stepping down after serving in the post during Obama's first term.
In his State of the Union address, President Barack Obama took a little premature credit for the rising fuel efficiency of America's cars.
"We have doubled the distance our cars will go on a gallon of gas," he declared in a section of Tuesday night' speech that was heavy on climate and energy policy.
Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., chair of the Senate Republican Conference, warned President Obama against bypassing Congress on climate change policy, saying such a move could prompt a public backlash, The Hill reports.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Reviving his populist re-election message, President Barack Obama will press a politically-divided Congress to approve more tax increases and fewer spending cuts during a State of the Union address focused on stabilizing the middle class and repairing the still-wobbly economy.
A group of celebrities, including Morgan Freeman Alec Baldwin, called on President Obama to make climate change a priority in his second term in a letter, Politico reports.
Senate Democrats are looking to present a bill containing spending cuts and tax increases to replace $85 billion in automatic spending cuts set to begin on March 1, The Hill reports.
Amid speculation that New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo could run for president, more than 135 environmental groups have joined to take out a full-page advertisement in the Des Moines Register to press him against allowing hydraulic fracturing in his state, Politico reports.
Administration officials say President Obama is ready to circumvent Congress on several issues in his second term, including using the Environmental Protection Agency to curb greenhouse gases from power plants, Bloomberg reports.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama will focus his State of the Union address on boosting job creation and economic growth at a time of high unemployment, underscoring the degree to which the economy could threaten his ability to pursue second-term priorities such as gun control, immigration policy and climate change.
Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore., asked the Justice Department to join the European Union's probe of possible oil price manipulation, Reuters reports.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Allison Macfarlane said the NRC can't consider a public hearing on the San Onofre nuclear plant until June, when an appeal period of an Atomic Safety and Licensing Board ruling ends.
Sens. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., and Joe Manchin, D-W.V., introduced a bill that would ensure that only domestically-made biofuels can be used to meet the Renewable Fuel Standard, The Chattanoogan reports.
A federal judge refused to reconsider a ruling that upheld the Interior Department's power to ban new hard rock mining projects on federal land, The Associated Press reports.
Tesla Motors increased the value of its stock and debt offerings 30 percent to $1.08 billion to gather reserves and pay back its Energy Department loans, Bloomberg reports.
Poland called on the European Union to end energy subsidies for fossil fuels and renewable sources and cut oil imports to better combat climate change, Bloomberg reports.
The first well reports from the Utica shale in Ohio show a significant supply of natural gas but not as much oil as some energy companies were expecting, Reuters reports.
