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Johnston mentioned as energy secretary

Former U.S. senator declined job in 2000

By Bruce Alpert

WASHINGTON -- Former Louisiana Sen. J. Bennett Johnston is on a list of possible candidates to replace Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham, White House officials said Monday.

Johnston, 72, a Democrat who represented Louisiana in the Senate from 1972 to 1997 and is now a Washington lobbyist, turned down the energy job for Bush's first term. He served as chairman of the Senate Energy Committee from 1987 to 1994.

In an interview after Abraham and three other Bush Cabinet members announced their resignations Monday, Johnston said he hasn't been approached by anyone at the White House. Asked whether he would be interested, Johnston said it wouldn't be polite to either "accept or turn down an appointment that hasn't been offered."

Sen. John Breaux, D-La., who is retiring after the current congressional session, has also been mentioned for the energy post or perhaps another spot in the Bush Cabinet. But Breaux, who like Johnston turned down the energy job four years ago, said Monday that he also hasn't been approached about a possible Cabinet job, and friends think he's committed to leaving government to work as a lobbyist next year.

The White House officials, who declined to be identified, said that Johnston will get consideration for energy secretary, but so will Tom Kuhn, a former Bush roommate at Yale University who now runs the Edison Institute, a lobbying association for major electric utilities; Kyle McSlarrow, Abraham's current deputy secretary at the Energy Department; and Tony Garza, the U.S. ambassador to Mexico and former head of the Texas Railroad Commission.

Bush, who appointed one Democrat to his first Cabinet, has told aides that he'd like to do the same for his second term. Johnston's prospects might come down to whether a Democrat is named to one of the other Cabinet openings likely to be filled before the energy vacancy.

One plus for Johnston is that he could help the president add a few Democratic votes to stalled energy legislation that is one of the administration's top priorities.

Johnston refused to say whether he would be more receptive to a Cabinet post offer this time around. People close to the former senator say that after eight years as a lobbyist he now is financially secure enough that he no longer worries about meeting the long-term monetary needs of his family.

Sen.-elect David Vitter, R-Metairie, who defeated three major Democratic opponents to capture the Senate seat being vacated by Breaux, said the selection of either Breaux or Johnston as energy secretary "would be great for the country and great for Louisiana."

In a letter to President Bush on Monday, Abraham said that he is submitting his resignation because he wants to devote more time to his family, including three young children. He said he would remain at the department until a successor is confirmed.

During his four-year tenure at energy, the longest of any of his predecessors, Abraham faced a slew of problems, including the nation's worst power blackout and soaring crude oil and gasoline prices. He also has moved the country closer to finding a place to bury the country's nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain in Nevada, although new Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada has threatened to use his leadership slot to derail that project.

Johnston, who championed the Yucca Mountain site while in the Senate, predicted that Reid's efforts will fail, pointing out that "Bush won Nevada" in his re-election bid, despite opposition to the waste project.

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Bruce Alpert can be reached at bruce.alpert@newhouse.com or (202) 383-7861.