| United States Secretary of Energy | |
|---|---|
 Seal of the department | |
 Flag of the secretary | |
.jpg) | |
| United States Department of Energy | |
| Style | Madam Secretary (informal) The Honorable (formal) |
| Member of | United States Cabinet United States National Security Council |
| Reports to | President of the United States |
| Seat | James V. Forrestal Building, Washington, D.C. |
| Appointer | The President of the United States with Senate advice and consent |
| Term length | No fixed term |
| Constituting instrument | 42 U.S.C. § 7131 |
| Formation | August 6, 1977 |
| First holder | James R. Schlesinger |
| Succession | Fifteenth[1] |
| Deputy | Deputy Secretary |
| Salary | Executive Schedule, level I |
| Website | Energy.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, establishing the department.[2] The energy secretary and the department originally focused on energy production and regulation. The emphasis soon shifted to developing technology for better and more efficient energy sources, as well as energy education. After the end of the Cold War, the department's attention also turned toward radioactive waste disposal and the maintenance of environmental quality.[3] Former secretary of defense James Schlesinger served as the first secretary of energy. As a Republican nominated to the post by Democratic president Jimmy Carter, Schlesinger's appointment marks the only time a president has chosen 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.[6] Spencer Abraham became the first Arab American to hold the position on January 20, 2001, serving under the administration of George W. Bush. Steven Chu became the first Asian American to hold the position on January 20, 2009, serving under president Barack Obama. Chu was also the longest-serving secretary of energy and the first individual to join the Cabinet after having received a Nobel Prize.[7]
President Joe Biden's nominee to be Secretary of Energy, former Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm, was confirmed on February 25, 2021. Granholm is the second woman to lead the Department of Energy.[8]
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Origins". U.S. Department of Energy. Archived from the original on July 12, 2007. Retrieved July 29, 2007.
- ^ "The Clinton Administration". The Washington Post. February 18, 2000. Retrieved July 29, 2007.
- ^ "Biography of James Schlesinger Origins". U.S. Department of Defense. Retrieved August 13, 2007.
- ^ "President Hazel R. O'Leary Honored by Urban League". Fisk University. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved August 13, 2007.
- ^ "Federico F. Peña to be Sworn in as the Eighth Secretary of Energy". U.S. Department of Energy. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved August 13, 2007.
- ^ Rudin, Ken (December 15, 2008). "npr.org". NPR. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
- ^ "Secretaries of Energy". Energy.gov. Retrieved November 21, 2023.