Nevadan in Obama cabinet?

Jon Wellinghoff of Nevada will be a likely contender for Secretary of Energy if Sen. Barack Obama wins the presidency.

Wellinghoff, now a member of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in Washington, D.C., was a leader in the early 1980s in the initiative petition campaign that led to creation of Nevada’s post of consumer advocate to represent customers in rate setting proceedings of state utility regulators. He was then appointed by Nevada Gov. Richard Bryan as the first person to hold the post. He served for two terms, during which he was instrumental in enactment of the first comprehensive state utility integrated planning statute.

Wellinghoff would certainly have the support of U.S. Sen. Harry Reid for energy secretary (Reid sponsored Wellinghoff’s FERC appointment), but might face opposition from supporters of the proposed nuclear waste dump at Yucca Mountain.