Back وزير الطاقة (الولايات المتحدة) Arabic Міністр энергетыкі ЗША Byelorussian Υπουργός Ενέργειας των Ηνωμένων Πολιτειών Greek Secretario de Energía de los Estados Unidos Spanish Ameerika Ühendriikide energeetikaminister Estonian وزیر انرژی ایالات متحده آمریکا Persian Yhdysvaltain energiaministeri Finnish Secrétaire à l'Énergie des États-Unis French מזכיר האנרגיה של ארצות הברית HE Az Amerikai Egyesült Államok energiaügyi minisztereinek listája Hungarian
| United States Secretary of Energy | |
|---|---|
 Seal of the department | |
 Flag of the secretary | |
 | |
| United States Department of Energy | |
| Style | Mr.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[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 the 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]
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Department of Energy - Origins". web.archive.org. July 12, 2007. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
- ^ "The Clinton Administration". The Washington Post. February 18, 2000.
- ^ "U.S. Department of Defense". U.S. Department of Defense. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
- ^ "President Hazel R. O'Leary Honored by Urban League". www.fisk.edu. Archived from the original on January 7, 2009. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
- ^ Rudin, Ken (December 15, 2008). "Nobel Prize Winners In The Cabinet". NPR. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
- ^ "Secretaries of Energy". Energy.gov. Retrieved November 21, 2023.