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United States Secretary of Energy

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United States Secretary of Energy
Seal of the department
Flag of the secretary
since January 20, 2025
United States Department of Energy
StyleMadam Secretary (informal)
The Honorable (formal)
Member ofUnited States Cabinet
United States National Security Council
Reports toPresident of the United States
SeatJames V. Forrestal Building, Washington, D.C.
AppointerThe President of the United States
with Senate advice and consent
Term lengthNo fixed term
Constituting instrument42 U.S.C. § 7131
FormationAugust 6, 1977
First holderJames R. Schlesinger
SuccessionFifteenth[1]
DeputyDeputy Secretary
SalaryExecutive Schedule, level I
WebsiteEnergy.gov

The United States Secretary of Energy is the head of the United States Department of Energy, a member of the Cabinet of the United States and fifteenth in the presidential line of succession. The position was created on October 1, 1977, when President Jimmy Carter signed the Department of Energy Organization Act[2], establishing the department. Originally, the Secretary and the department focused on energy production and regulation. Over time, the emphasis shifted to developing technology for more efficient energy sources and energy education. After the Cold War, the department's attention also turned to radioactive waste disposal and environmental quality maintenance[3]. Former Secretary of Defense James Schlesinger was the first Secretary of Energy. As a Republican nominated by Democratic President Jimmy Carter, Schlesinger’s appointment remains the only instance of a president choosing a member of another political party for the position. Schlesinger is also the only Secretary to be dismissed from the post[4]. Hazel O'Leary, Bill Clinton’s first Secretary of Energy, was the first female and first African American to hold the position[5]. The first Hispanic to serve as Energy Secretary was Clinton’s second Energy Secretary, Federico Peña. Spencer Abraham became the first Arab American to hold the position on January 20, 2001, under President George W. Bush. Steven Chu, appointed on January 20, 2009, under President Barack Obama, became the first Asian American to hold the position. Chu also served as the longest-serving Secretary of Energy and was the first individual to join the Cabinet after having received a Nobel Prize[6].

President Joe Biden's nominee to be Secretary of Energy, former Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm, was confirmed on February 25, 2021. Granholm was the second woman to lead the Department of Energy.[7]

Nuclear weapons

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In addition to responsibilities related to generation and use of energy, the secretary is the most senior official other than the president of the United States or Secretary of Defense with primary responsibility for the nation's ~3,800 viable nuclear weapons. This arrangement is intended to maintain full civilian control over strategic weapons, except as directed by the president for specific military uses.[8] The department of energy is responsible for the building, maintenance, and disposal of all nuclear weapons within the United States' arsenal in addition to safeguarding these weapons when they are not actively deployed in military service.[9] Under the terms of several successive treaties, most recently New START, the United States has reduced its strategic arsenal to 1,500 deployed weapons. Consequently, many older legacy weapons systems have been dismantled or scheduled for dismantlement, with their core radioactive fuel - generally plutonium - being reprocessed into reactor-grade or space exploration fuel.[10]

List of secretaries of energy

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Parties

  Democratic (7)   Republican (9)[citation needed]

Status

  Acting Secretary of Energy

No. Portrait Name State of residence Took office Left office Party President(s)
1 James Schlesinger Virginia August 6, 1977 August 23, 1979 Republican Jimmy Carter
(1977–1981)
2 Charles Duncan Texas August 24, 1979 January 20, 1981 Democratic
3 James Edwards South Carolina January 23, 1981 November 5, 1982 Republican Ronald Reagan
(1981–1989)
4 Donald Hodel Oregon November 5, 1982 February 7, 1985 Republican
5 John Herrington California February 7, 1985 January 20, 1989 Republican
6 James Watkins California March 1, 1989 January 20, 1993 Republican George H. W. Bush
(1989–1993)
7 Hazel O'Leary Virginia January 22, 1993 January 20, 1997 Democratic Bill Clinton
(1993–2001)
– Charles B. Curtis Pennsylvania January 20, 1997 March 12, 1997 Democratic
8 Federico Peña Colorado March 12, 1997 June 30, 1998 Democratic
9 Bill Richardson New Mexico August 18, 1998 January 20, 2001 Democratic
10 Spencer Abraham Michigan January 20, 2001 February 1, 2005 Republican George W. Bush
(2001–2009)
11 Samuel Bodman Illinois February 1, 2005 January 20, 2009 Republican
12 Steven Chu California January 20, 2009 April 22, 2013 Democratic Barack Obama
(2009–2017)
– Daniel Poneman Ohio April 22, 2013 May 21, 2013 Democratic
13 Ernest Moniz Massachusetts May 21, 2013 January 20, 2017 Democratic
– Grace Bochenek January 20, 2017 March 2, 2017 Donald Trump
(2017–2021)
14 Rick Perry Texas March 2, 2017 December 1, 2019 Republican
15 Dan Brouillette Texas December 1, 2019 December 4, 2019 Republican
December 4, 2019 January 20, 2021
– David Huizenga January 20, 2021 February 25, 2021 Democratic Joe Biden
(2021–2025)
16 Secretary Jennifer Granholm Jennifer Granholm Michigan February 25, 2021 January 20, 2025 Democratic
– Ingrid Kolb January 20, 2025 present Republican Donald Trump
(2025–present)

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "3 U.S. Code § 19 - Vacancy in offices of both President and Vice President; officers eligible to act | US Law | LII / Legal Information Institute". Law.cornell.edu. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
  2. ^ "Department of Energy - Origins". web.archive.org. July 12, 2007. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
  3. ^ "The Clinton Administration". The Washington Post. February 18, 2000.
  4. ^ "U.S. Department of Defense". U.S. Department of Defense. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
  5. ^ "President Hazel R. O'Leary Honored by Urban League". www.fisk.edu. Archived from the original on January 7, 2009. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
  6. ^ Rudin, Ken (December 15, 2008). "Nobel Prize Winners In The Cabinet". NPR. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
  7. ^ "Secretaries of Energy". Energy.gov. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
  8. ^ "Atomic Energy Act of 1946" (PDF). US Library of Congress. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
  9. ^ "Maintaining the Stockpile". US Department of Energy. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
  10. ^ "Military Warheads as a Source of Nuclear Fuel". World Nuclear Association. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
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U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by
Vacant
as Secretary of Transportation 		Order of precedence of the United States
as Secretary of Energy 		Succeeded by
Vacant
as Secretary of Education
U.S. presidential line of succession
Preceded by 15th in line
Ineligible 		Succeeded by
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