NPR:
Steven Chu is an optimist. The secretary of energy, who won a
Nobel Prize in Physics in 1997, believes science can solve many
of the nation's energy challenges."Scientists by their nature
are very optimistic," he said. "We learn about Newton, about
Maxwell, about Einstein. And yet you want to do some science
that can contribute on the shoulders of those
giants—you've got to be pretty optimistic."That doesn't
mean I'm a cockeyed optimist," he cautioned. "You've still got
to come up with the goods."Chu knows cleaner coal, new nuclear
power plants, more renewable energy will take time. In a
conversation with NPR's Steve Inskeep, he lays out ambitious
plans for the country's energy future.
