Top DOE adviser departs to be New York Gov. Cuomo’s ‘energy czar’

Richard Kauffman, a top adviser to Energy Secretary Steven Chu and expert in green technology finance, is leaving to become New York State Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s (D) “energy czar.”

Cuomo announced the “Cabinet-level” position in his annual “state of the state” address Wednesday.

Chu himself is widely expected to step down soon as part of the broader second-term turnover in President Obama’s Cabinet.

Kauffman will “coordinate the state's clean-tech agenda and oversee the state government's energy portfolio,” according to a summary of Cuomo’s remarks.

Kauffman’s the former CEO of the investment firm Good Energies, Inc. (which this year changed its name to Bregal Energy), and before that chaired the Global Financing Group at Goldman Sachs.

Cuomo’s energy agenda includes creating a “green bank” to help finance projects, expanding a program to increase solar energy installations in New York and creating a statewide network of electric vehicle charging stations.

New York officials are also weighing how to govern potential natural gas drilling in the state.