James V. Forrestal Building, headquarter building named after James Forrestal | |
Agency overview | |
---|---|
Formed | August 4, 1977 |
Preceding agencies | |
Jurisdiction | U.S. federal government |
Headquarters | James V. Forrestal Building 1000 Independence Avenue Southwest, Washington, D.C., U.S. 38°53′13″N77°1′34″W / 38.88694°N 77.02611°W |
Employees | 14,382 federal civilian (2018) [1] 93,094 contract (2008) |
Annual budget | $31.7 billion (2020) [2] |
Agency executives | |
Website | energy.gov |
The United States Department of Energy (DOE) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government that oversees U.S. national energy policy and energy production, the research and development of nuclear power, the military's nuclear weapons program, nuclear reactor production for the United States Navy, energy-related research, and energy conservation.
The DOE was created in 1977 in the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis. It sponsors more physical science research than any other U.S. federal agency, the majority of which is conducted through its system of National Laboratories. [3] [4] The DOE also directs research in genomics, with the Human Genome Project originating from a DOE initiative. [5]
The department is headed by the secretary of energy, who reports directly to the president of the United States and is a member of the Cabinet. The current secretary of energy is Jennifer Granholm, who has served in the position since February 2021. [6] The department's headquarters are in southwestern Washington, D.C., in the James V. Forrestal Building, with additional offices in Germantown, Maryland.
In 1942, during World War II, the United States started the Manhattan Project to develop the atomic bomb under the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. After the war, in 1946, the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) was created to control the future of the project. [7] [8] The Atomic Energy Act of 1946 also created the framework for the first National Laboratories. Among other nuclear projects, the AEC produced fabricated uranium fuel cores at locations such as Fernald Feed Materials Production Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. [9] [10] [11] The Energy Reorganization Act of 1974 split the responsibilities of the AEC into the new Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which was charged with regulating the nuclear power industry, and the Energy Research and Development Administration, which was assigned to manage the nuclear weapon, naval reactor, and energy development programs. [12]
The 1973 oil crisis called attention to the need to consolidate energy policy. [13] [14] [15] In 1977, President Jimmy Carter signed into law the Department of Energy Organization Act, which established the Department of Energy. [16] The new agency, which began operations on October 1, 1977, consolidated the Federal Energy Administration, the Energy Research and Development Administration, the Federal Power Commission, and programs of various other agencies. Former Secretary of Defense James Schlesinger, who served under Presidents Nixon and Ford during the Vietnam War, was appointed as the first secretary.
President Carter proposed the Department of Energy with the goal of promoting energy conservation and energy independence, and developing alternative sources of energy to reduce the use of fossil fuels. [17] With international energy's future uncertain for America, Carter acted quickly to have the department come into action the first year of his presidency. This was an extremely important issue of the time as the oil crisis was causing shortages and inflation. [18] With the Three Mile Island accident, Carter was able to intervene with the help of the department. Through the DOE, Carter was able to make changes within the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, including improving management and procedures, since nuclear energy and weapons are responsibilities of the department. [19]
In December 1999, the FBI was investigating how China obtained plans for a specific nuclear device. Wen Ho Lee was accused of stealing nuclear secrets from Los Alamos National Laboratory for the People's Republic of China. Federal officials, including then-Energy Secretary Bill Richardson, publicly named Lee as a suspect before he was charged with a crime. The U.S. Congress held hearings to investigate the Department of Energy's handling of his case. Republican senators thought that an independent agency should be in charge of nuclear weapons and security issues, rather than the DOE. [20] All but one of the 59 charges against Lee were eventually dropped because the investigation proved the plans the Chinese obtained could not have come from Lee. Lee filed suit and won a $1.6 million settlement against the federal government and news agencies. [21] The episode eventually led to the creation of the National Nuclear Security Administration, a semi-autonomous agency within the department.[ citation needed ]
In 2001, American Solar Challenge was sponsored by the DOE and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. [22] After the 2005 race, the DOE discontinued its sponsorship. [23]
Title XVII of Energy Policy Act of 2005 authorizes the DOE to issue loan guarantees to eligible projects that "avoid, reduce, or sequester air pollutants or anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases" and "employ new or significantly improved technologies as compared to technologies in service in the United States at the time the guarantee is issued". [24] In loan guarantees, a conditional commitment requires to meet an equity commitment, as well as other conditions, before the loan guarantee is completed. [25]
In September 2008, the DOE, the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), the Institute of Nuclear Materials Management (INMM), and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) partnered to develop and launch the World Institute for Nuclear Security (WINS), an international non-governmental organization designed to provide a forum to share best practices in strengthening the security and safety of nuclear and radioactive materials and facilities. [26]
The department announced a reorganization with new names of under secretaries in 2022. [27]
Program | |
---|---|
Secretary of Energy | Deputy Secretary of Energy *Associate Deputy Secretary of Energy |
Assistant Secretary of Energy (International Affairs) | |
Assistant Secretary of Energy (Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs) | |
Office of the General Counsel | |
Office of the Chief Financial Officer | |
Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy | |
Energy Information Administration | |
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission | |
Enterprise Assessments | |
Energy Policy and System Analysis | |
Intelligence and Counterintelligence | |
Public Affairs | |
Office of Management | |
Office of Project Management | |
Chief Human Capital Officer | |
Chief Information Officer | |
Economic Impact and Diversity | |
Hearings and Appeals | |
Assistant Secretary of Energy (Environmental Management) *Legacy Management | |
Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization | |
Under Secretary for Science and Innovation | Arctic Energy Office |
Office of Critical and Emerging Technologies (CET) | |
Assistant Secretary of Energy (Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy) | |
Assistant Secretary of Energy (Electricity) | |
Assistant Secretary of Energy (Fossil Energy and Carbon Management) | |
Assistant Secretary of Energy (Nuclear Energy) | |
Office of Science | |
Under Secretary of Energy for Nuclear Security | National Nuclear Security Administration |
Under Secretary for Infrastructure | National Laboratory Operations Board |
Associate Under Secretary of Energy (Environment, Health, Safety and Security) | |
Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations | |
Office of Federal Energy Management Programs | |
Grid Deployment Office | |
Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, & Energy Response [28] | |
Indian Energy Policy and Programs | |
Loan Programs Office | |
Office of State and Community Energy Programs | |
Bonneville Power Administration | |
Southeastern Power Administration | |
Southwestern Power Administration | |
Western Area Power Administration |
The department is under the control and supervision of a United States Secretary of Energy, a political appointee of the President of the United States. The Energy Secretary is assisted in managing the department by a United States Deputy Secretary of Energy, also appointed by the president, who assumes the duties of the secretary in the secretary's absence. The department also has three under secretaries, each appointed by the president, who oversee the major areas of the department's work. The president also appoints seven officials with the rank of Assistant Secretary of Energy who have line management responsibility for major organizational elements of the department. The Energy Secretary assigns their functions and duties.
Excerpt from the Code of Federal Regulations, in Title 10: Energy: [29]
The official seal of the Department of Energy "includes a green shield bisected by a gold-colored lightning bolt, on which is emblazoned a gold-colored symbolic sun, atom, oil derrick, windmill, and dynamo. It is crested by the white head of an eagle, atop a white rope. Both appear on a blue field surrounded by concentric circles in which the name of the agency, in gold, appears on a green background."
"The eagle represents the care in planning and the purposefulness of efforts required to respond to the Nation's increasing demands for energy. The sun, atom, oil derrick, windmill, and dynamo serve as representative technologies whose enhanced development can help meet these demands. The rope represents the cohesiveness in the development of the technologies and their link to our future capabilities. The lightning bolt represents the power of the natural forces from which energy is derived and the Nation's challenge in harnessing the forces."
"The color scheme is derived from nature, symbolizing both the source of energy and the support of man's existence. The blue field represents air and water, green represents mineral resources and the earth itself, and gold represents the creation of energy in the release of natural forces. By invoking this symbolism, the color scheme represents the Nation's commitment to meet its energy needs in a manner consistent with the preservation of the natural environment."
The Department of Energy operates a system of national laboratories and technical facilities for research and development, as follows: [30]
Other major DOE facilities include: [33] [34]
Airstrip:
The DOE/NNSA has federal responsibility for the design, testing and production of all nuclear weapons. NNSA in turn uses contractors to carry out its responsibilities at the following government owned sites: [36]
On May 7, 2009 President Barack Obama unveiled a $26.4 billion budget request for DOE for fiscal year (FY) 2010, including $2.3 billion for the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). That budget aimed to substantially expand the use of renewable energy sources while improving energy transmission infrastructure. It also proposed significant investments[ clarification needed ] in hybrids and plug-in hybrids, smart grid technologies, and scientific research and innovation. [41]
As part of the $789 billion economic stimulus package in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Congress provided Energy with an additional $38.3 billion for fiscal years 2009 and 2010, adding about 75 percent to Energy's annual budgets. Most of the stimulus spending was in the form of grants and contracts.[ citation needed ] For fiscal year 2013, each of the operating units of the Department of Energy operated with the following budgets: [42]
Division | Funding |
---|---|
Nuclear Security | $11.5 |
Energy and Environment | $9.5 |
Science | $4.9 |
Management | $0.25 |
Other | $0.85 |
Total | $28 |
In March 2018, Energy Secretary Rick Perry testified to a Senate panel about the Trump administration's DOE budget request for fiscal year 2019. The budget request prioritized nuclear security while making large cuts to energy efficiency and renewable energy programs. The proposal was a $500 million increase in funds over fiscal year 2017. It "promotes innovations like a new Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER) and gains for the Office of Fossil Energy. Investments would be made to strengthen the National Nuclear Security Administration and modernize the nuclear force, as well as in weapons activities and advanced computing." However, the budget for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy would be lowered to $696 million under the plan, down from $1.3 billion in fiscal year 2017. Overall, the department's energy and related programs would be cut by $1.9 billion. [43] [ needs update ]
Energy Savings Performance Contracts (ESPCs) are contracts under which a contractor designs, constructs, and obtains the necessary financing for an energy savings project, and the federal agency makes payments over time to the contractor from the savings in the agency's utility bills. The contractor guarantees the energy improvements will generate savings, and after the contract ends, all continuing cost savings accrue to the federal agency. [44]
Energy Innovation Hubs are multi-disciplinary, meant to advance highly promising areas of energy science and technology from their early stages of research to the point that the risk level will be low enough for industry to commercialize[ dubious – discuss ] the technologies. [41] The Consortium for Advanced Simulation of Light Water Reactors (CASL) was the first DOE Energy Innovation Hub established in July 2010, for the purpose of providing advanced modeling and simulation (M&S) solutions for commercial nuclear reactors. [45]
The 2009 DOE budget includes $280 million to fund eight Energy Innovation Hubs, each of which is focused on a particular energy challenge. Two of the eight hubs are included in the EERE budget and will focus on integrating smart materials, designs, and systems into buildings to better conserve energy and on designing and discovering new concepts and materials needed to convert solar energy into electricity. Another two hubs, included in the DOE Office of Science budget, were created to tackle the challenges of devising advanced methods of energy storage and creating fuels directly from sunlight without the use of plants or microbes. Yet another hub was made to develop "smart" materials to allow the electrical grid to adapt and respond to changing conditions. [41]
In 2012, the DOE awarded $120 million to the Ames Laboratory to start a new EIH, the Critical Materials Institute, which will focus on improving the supply of rare earth elements. [46]
ARPA-E was officially created by the America COMPETES Act, authored by Congressman Bart Gordon, [47] within the United States Department of Energy (DOE) in 2007, though without a budget. The initial budget of about $400 million was a part of the economic stimulus bill of February 2009. [48]
# | Name | Term | President served | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Start | End | |||
1 | James R. Schlesinger | August 6, 1977 | August 23, 1979 | Jimmy Carter |
2 | Charles W. Duncan, Jr. | August 54, 1979 | January 20, 1981 | |
3 | James B. Edwards | January 23, 1981 | November 5, 1982 | Ronald Reagan |
4 | Donald Paul Hodel | November 5, 1982 | February 7, 1985 | |
5 | John S. Herrington | February 7, 1985 | January 20, 1989 | |
6 | James D. Watkins | March 1, 1989 | January 20, 1993 | George H. W. Bush |
7 | Hazel R. O'Leary | January 22, 1993 | January 20, 1997 | Bill Clinton |
8 | Federico F. Peña | March 12, 1997 | June 30, 1998 | |
9 | Bill Richardson | August 18, 1998 | January 20, 2001 | |
10 | Spencer Abraham | January 22, 2001 | January 31, 2005 | George W. Bush |
11 | Samuel W. Bodman | February 1, 2005 | January 20, 2009 | |
12 | Steven Chu | January 21, 2009 | April 22, 2013 | Barack Obama |
13 | Ernest Moniz | May 16, 2013 | January 20, 2017 | |
14 | Rick Perry | March 2, 2017 | December 1, 2019 | Donald Trump |
15 | Dan Brouillette | December 4, 2019 | January 20, 2021 | |
16 | Jennifer Granholm | February 25, 2021 | Incumbent | Joe Biden |
Los Alamos National Laboratory is one of the sixteen research and development laboratories of the United States Department of Energy (DOE), located a short distance northwest of Santa Fe, New Mexico, in the American southwest. Best known for its central role in helping develop the first atomic bomb, LANL is one of the world's largest and most advanced scientific institutions.
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is a federally funded research and development center in Livermore, California, United States. Originally established in 1952, the laboratory now is sponsored by the United States Department of Energy and administered privately by Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC.
The United States Department of Energy National Laboratories and Technology Centers is a system of laboratories overseen by the United States Department of Energy (DOE) for scientific and technological research. The primary mission of the DOE national laboratories is to conduct research and development (R&D) addressing national priorities: energy and climate, the environment, national security, and health. Sixteen of the seventeen DOE national laboratories are federally funded research and development centers administered, managed, operated and staffed by private-sector organizations under management and operating (M&O) contracts with the DOE. The National Laboratory system was established in the wake of World War II, during which the United States had quickly set-up and pursued advanced scientific research in the sprawling Manhattan Project.
Idaho National Laboratory (INL) is one of the national laboratories of the United States Department of Energy and is managed by the Battelle Energy Alliance. Historically, the lab has been involved with nuclear research, although the laboratory does other research as well. Much of current knowledge about how nuclear reactors behave and misbehave was discovered at what is now Idaho National Laboratory. John Grossenbacher, former INL director, said, "The history of nuclear energy for peaceful application has principally been written in Idaho".
Stockpile stewardship refers to the United States program of reliability testing and maintenance of its nuclear weapons without the use of nuclear testing.
The Y-12 National Security Complex is a United States Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration facility located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, near the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. It was built as part of the Manhattan Project for the purpose of enriching uranium for the first atomic bombs. In the years after World War II, it has been operated as a manufacturing facility for nuclear weapons components.
The Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI) is a component of the Office of Science within the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The Energy Policy Act PL 109–58, Section 982, called out the responsibility of OSTI: "The Secretary, through the Office of Scientific and Technical Information, shall maintain with the Department publicly available collections of scientific and technical information resulting from research, development, demonstration, and commercial applications activities supported by the Department."
Pantex is the primary United States nuclear weapons assembly and disassembly facility that aims to maintain the safety, security and reliability of the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile. The facility is named for its location in the Panhandle of Texas on a 16,000-acre site 20 miles (32 km) northeast of Amarillo, in Carson County, Texas. The plant is managed and operated for the United States Department of Energy (DOE) by Consolidated Nuclear Security (CNS) and Sandia National Laboratories. CNS is composed of member companies Bechtel, Leidos, Orbital ATK, and SOC, with Booz Allen Hamilton as a teaming subcontractor. CNS also operates the Y-12 National Security Complex in Tennessee, a manufacturing facility for nuclear weapons components.
The Reliable Replacement Warhead (RRW) was a proposed new American nuclear warhead design and bomb family that was intended to be simple, reliable and to provide a long-lasting, low-maintenance future nuclear force for the United States. Initiated by the United States Congress in 2004, it became a centerpiece of the plans of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) to remake the nuclear weapons complex.
The Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence is an office of the United States Department of Energy (DOE) responsible for all intelligence and counterintelligence activities throughout the DOE complex. It was established in 2006 by the merger of pre-existing Energy Department intelligence and security organizations. Due to its central role, OICI is designated DOE's Headquarters Intelligence. As a component of the United States Intelligence Community in addition to the Department of Energy, OICI reports to both the Director of National Intelligence and Secretary of Energy.
The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) is an office within the United States Department of Energy. Formed from other energy agencies after the 1973 energy crisis, EERE is led by the Assistant Secretary of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, who is appointed by the president of the United States and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Alejandro Moreno currently leads the office as the Acting Assistant Secretary.
The Under Secretary for Nuclear Security, in the United States Department of Energy, is the Administrator for the National Nuclear Security Administration. The National Nuclear Security Administration's responsibilities include designing, producing, and maintaining safe, secure and reliable nuclear weapons for the U.S. military, providing safe, militarily effective naval nuclear propulsion plants, and promoting international nuclear safety and nonproliferation. The current Under Secretary is Jill Hruby.
The Office of Science is a component of the United States Department of Energy (DOE). The Office of Science is the lead federal agency supporting fundamental scientific research for energy and the Nation’s largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences. The Office of Science portfolio has two principal thrusts: direct support of scientific research and direct support of the development, construction, and operation of unique, open-access scientific user facilities that are made available for use by external researchers.
The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) is a United States federal agency responsible for safeguarding national security through the military application of nuclear science. NNSA maintains and enhances the safety, security, and effectiveness of the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile; works to reduce the global danger from weapons of mass destruction; provides the United States Navy with safe and effective nuclear propulsion; and responds to nuclear and radiological emergencies in the United States and abroad.
The GovEnergy Workshop and Trade Show is an annual training event in the United States for federal facility energy professionals. The event is also attended by private industry professionals who help to monitor and control energy use in federal facilities.
The Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear, Chemical & Biological Defense Programs, or ASD(NCB), is the principal adviser to the Secretary of Defense, Deputy Secretary of Defense and the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment on policy and plans for nuclear, chemical, and biological defense programs.
The Office of Nuclear Energy (NE) is an agency of the United States Department of Energy which promotes nuclear power as a resource capable of meeting the energy, environmental, and national security needs of the United States by resolving technical and regulatory barriers through research, development, and demonstration.
The Networking and Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD) program consists of a group of U.S. federal agencies to research and develop information technology (IT) capabilities to empower Federal missions; support U.S. science, engineering, and technology leadership; and bolster U.S. economic competitiveness.
A Safeguards Transporter (SGT) is a truck developed for and used by the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), a semi-autonomous affiliate agency of the United States Department of Energy, for the ground transport of nuclear weapons in the contiguous United States. SGTs' trailers are known as Safe Secure Trailers (SST).
The Federal Protective Forces (FPF), also known as the Protective Forces or ProFor, are the law enforcement agencies of the United States Department of Energy (DOE) responsible for the protection of Category I special nuclear material. Officially classified as security police, they hold law enforcement status while engaged in the performance of official duties. Officers are equipped and trained to respond to serious incidents at Department of Energy facilities by armed adversaries and to reacquire stolen nuclear material. The FPFs have been described by the DOE as "elite fighting forces" designed to operate in "combat environments".
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link){{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)