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The US Secretary of Energy heads the Department of Energy, overseeing energy production, nuclear program, research, and atomic weapons. The position is Cabinet-level and requires Senate confirmation. The Secretary keeps the President updated on energy matters and works with officials like the Secretary of Defense. The DOE focuses on energy generation, transportation, and regulation, and promotes alternative energy and environmental issues. It funds applied scientific research and maintains a large fleet of inspectors and researchers.
The United States Secretary of Energy is the head of the Department of Energy (DOE), a US government agency that oversees matters relating to energy production. The DOE also oversees America’s nuclear program, research, production and study of atomic weapons and energy for the United States. This agency has been around since 1977, when it was founded by President Jimmy Carter.
This is a Cabinet-level position, making the US Secretary of Energy a presidential candidate that must be approved at a Senate confirmation hearing. As long as the US Secretary of Energy is a natural citizen who is not an acting secretary, he is 15th in the presidential line of succession. As with other Cabinet members, the Secretary of Energy conventionally resigns when a new President takes office and appoints a new US Secretary of Energy, typically choosing someone who supports the President’s goals for America .
As a member of the presidential cabinet, the US energy secretary is required to keep the president updated on matters impacting American energy, and the secretary also discusses policy issues with the president. Since the US Secretary of Energy oversees the nuclear program, meetings with officials such as the Secretary of Defense to discuss nuclear issues are also not uncommon. One notable Secretary of Energy was Hazel O’Leary, who served four years under President Clinton as the first black woman in the position. The Secretary is assisted by a large staff which includes a certain number of Under-Secretaries who direct individual sectors within the DOE.
At the Department of Energy, the focus is on the generation, transportation, and regulation of energy in the United States. In the late 1990s, the agency also began investigating alternative energy and promoting consumer education, with the goal of making America’s energy sources cleaner and reducing dependence on oil. The Department of Energy also deals with environmental issues related to energy production and nuclear waste disposal.
This particular government agency devotes more funds to applied scientific research than any other government agency, largely due to its large nuclear program, which includes lucrative contracts with the Department of Defense. DOE also maintains a large fleet of inspectors who travel to power generation sites, along with researchers who analyze emerging technology in the field of power generation and transmission, and personnel who work to develop more efficient technology.
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