Bryson's long career of support for nuclear power, solar energy, and legal activism in the field, is likely to draw both backers and detractors. So far, business groups have seemed to respond positively, if carefully, to the president's choice. The that his service with manufacturing companies "gives him the advantage of having exposure to the difficult issues manufacturers face" globally. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce said it hoped he would be "a strong voice for American business."
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Bryson currently is chairman of ., a developer of solar power plants. He also is a cofounder and former attorney for the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC), and a onetime head of the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC).
If the Senate confirms him, Bryson would replace Secretary Gary Locke, who Obama has nominated as U.S. ambassador to China.
A native New Yorker who spent most of his career in California after being educated at Stanford and Yale Law School, Bryson likely will become a major player of Obama's plans to double U.S. exports by the end of 2014, to more than $3 trillion, as proclaimed in the Economic Report of the President to Congress.
But Bryson's background also lends itself to the president's goals for lean and renewable energy. After serving California-based Edison International from 1984 until --- including 17 years as CEO -- Bryson retired in 2008. Edison operates the San Onofre nuclear plant near San Diego. As chairman of Oakland-based BrightSource, he now is a leader of a company that aims to use solar-thermal technology to generate capacity equal to 11 nuclear power plants.
In his time at Southern California-based utility Edison, Bryson helped manage the company through a 2000-2001 energy crisis that bankrupted rival Pacific Gas & Electric, which was part of San Francisco-based PG&E Corp. Edison was forced to sell most of its overseas assets after its debt rating declined in part due to the crisis.
His credentials with the NRDC advocacy group gained him much support among environmentalists over the years. NRDC President Frances Beinecke said in a statement that Bryson is "a visionary leader in promoting a clean environment and a strong economy." During his presidency of the CPUC from 1979 to 1982, one of Bryson's contribution was to separate utility profits from power use rates, helping encourage utilities to promote energy conservation.
Among his other business connections are a position as senior adviser to private equity giant Kohlberg Kravis & Roberts, and directorships with Boeing and Walt Disney Co.
As interpreted by Bloomberg News, the choice of a business executive like Bryson for the commerce post is the latest move by Obama to repair relations between the White House and the business community. After sparring for much of last year over the president's health-care and financial regulatory overhauls, Obama has sought to reach out to more CEOs and business groups, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which spent more than $30 million on 2010 congressional elections that gave Republicans control of the House of Representatives.