Gulfnews: Shifting priorities

With the global economy at the edge of recession, China appears to be turning away from previous pledges to improve its record on environmental protection. In this, China is hardly alone: A climate-change proposal in Europe that a few months ago seemed like a sure thing has now divided the continent because of its anticipated expense, and worldwide, money for the development of renewable energy sources has been drying up.

3 possibilities for Obama's EPA chief - PennEnvironment

The third strong candidate for the top EPA post is Mary Nichols, a California air-pollution official, who was an EPA assistant administrator during the Clinton administration. Nichols has stated an interest in the job.

"She was first to implement the nation's first global-warming law, and so she has a great deal of built-in credibility," said a Senate Democratic staffer who was not authorized to speak publicly.

Obama has promised big changes at EPA, especially on air pollution and climate change.