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Rumored Energy secretary choice cancels plans to speak at conference
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) physicist Ernest Moniz has canceled plans to speak at a Houston energy conference Tuesday, a change of schedule that arrives amid speculation that Moniz will soon be nominated for Energy secretary.
“We can confirm that he is not going to be participating in IHS CERAWeek,” said Ed Mattix, a representative for the conference hosted annually by IHS CERA, a prominent consulting and research firm.
Moniz, who directs the MIT Energy Initiative, was previously scheduled to speak on a panel about “innovation strategies” at the conference, which draws top industry CEOs and experts, and scores of reporters.
The online agenda for the week-long conference now lists Professor Robert Armstrong, the deputy director of the MIT Energy Initiative, on the Tuesday panel instead.
The White House has not confirmed the potential choice of Moniz to replace outgoing Energy Secretary Steven Chu.
This post was updated at 5:23 a.m. on March 4.
