The Obama administration might agree to postpone auctioning off 100 percent of emissions allowances under a cap-and-trade system to limit greenhouse gas pollution, White House science adviser John P. Holdren said today, a move that would please electricity providers and manufacturers but could anger environmentalists. In one of his first interviews since being confirmed March 20 as director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, Holdren said a group of Cabinet-level officials is trying to establish a set of principles to guide the climate legislation that has just begun to move in Congress. During the presidential campaign, Obama called for auctioning off all greenhouse gas emissions permits at the outset, rather than just a portion of them. Many industry leaders say a phase-in will be essential to easing the transition to a low-carbon economy.

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