Obama to discuss environment with Gore

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By Christina Bellantoni

As President-elect Barack Obama prepares to name members of his environmental team this week, he will sit down with former Vice President Al Gore.

Mr. Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden will meet with Mr. Gore in their Chicago transition headquarters Tuesday. The transition team said the men will discuss energy and climate change and "how policies in this area can stimulate the economy and create jobs."

The meeting is private, but the transition team will allow a small group of reporters and photographers to be in the room briefly before the meeting begins.

Mr. Obama once floated the idea of Mr. Gore, who won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work on climate change, joining his administration, but Democrats do not expect that to happen, and the former vice president's office said last month he was not interested in a job.

They also are likely to discuss the green jobs Mr. Obama wants to create as part of his stimulus and public works proposal.

"Al Gore will be at the table and play a central part in us figuring out how we solve this problem," Mr. Obama said in April in Wallingford, Pa.

Mr. Gore endorsed Mr. Obama's candidacy only after the long primary ended.

Mr. Obama still has his energy secretary, interior secretary and Environmental Protection Agency administrator to name.

He also is expected to create a new "climate czar" position.