Carol Browner Leaving White House

Carol Browner Leaving White House

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - White House climate change adviser Carol Browner will step down in coming weeks, Obama administration sources said on Monday.

Browner's departure is the latest in a number of staff changes at the While House after President Barack Obama completed the first two years of his presidency.

Obama entered the White House with an ambitious climate change agenda but has been unable to advance legislation that he campaigned on in 2008 or a cap and trade policy to curb greenhouse gas emissions.

A senior administration official said Browner, White House coordinator of energy and climate policy, would will stay on as long as necessary to ensure an orderly transition of the office.

"Carol is confident that the mission of her office will remain critical to the president and she is pleased with what will be in the State of the Union tomorrow and in the budget on clean energy," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

"She is proud of the administration's accomplishments -- from the historic investments in clean energy included in the Recovery Act to the national policy on vehicle efficiency that will save 1.8 billion barrels of oil and lower consumers' prices at the pump," the official said.

Browner ran the Environmental Protection Agency during the Clinton administration.

Obama has a new chief of staff, several new policy advisers and was expected to soon pick a new spokesman to replace Robert Gibbs who has announced plans to depart soon to work as an adviser to Obama's 2012 reelection campaign.

(Reporting by Alister Bull; Editing by Eric Walsh)

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