to be a huge fight , '' one Democratic official said . `` They need someone with the gravitas and force of personality to make it happen . '' Democrats have privately floated some other big names for energy secretary in recent days , including California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and former Secretary of State Colin Powell . But a source close to Schwarzenegger said the governor wants to serve out the rest of his term . A source close to Powell said the retired general will take `` no formal Cabinet role '' in an Obama administration but is leaving the door open to an informal troubleshooting role -- such as Mideast envoy -- if the incoming president has a specific mission that needs to be filled . iReport.com : What do you think of Obama 's cabinet picks so far ? Energy is one aspect of the president-elect 's one-year goal to create 2.5 million jobs by 2011 . The plan , which Obama announced Saturday , aims to put Americans to work updating the country 's infrastructure , making public buildings more energy-efficient and implementing environmentally friendly technologies , including alternative energy sources . During his campaign ,
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- President-elect Barack Obama is likely to name Steven Chu , a physicist who runs the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory , as his energy secretary , three Democratic officials close to the transition said . Steven Chu explains his Nobel-winning theory on superfreezing gases in 1997 . The three officials said the announcement is expected next week in Chicago , Illinois , and that Obama will also name Carol Browner , administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency in the Clinton administration , as the newly created `` climate czar '' inside the White House . Chu won the 1997 Nobel Prize in physics and is highly respected in energy circles . But some Democrats have privately expressed concern that Chu has no political experience as he takes on the monumental task of passing a landmark energy reform bill early next year . Although Browner is seen as a shrewd inside player who could help the incoming energy secretary navigate Capitol Hill , Obama will face questions about how effective his team will be going up against oil companies and other special interests that do not want to change the status quo . `` Energy is going