United States Secretary of Energy

Head of the US Department of Energy

United States Secretary of Energy

Seal of the Department of Energy

Flag of the secretary

Incumbent
Chris Wright

since February 4, 2025

United States Department of Energy
Style| Mr. Secretary (informal)
The Honorable (formal)
Member of| Cabinet of the United States
United States National Security Council
Reports to| President of the United States
Seat| James V. Forrestal Building, Washington, D.C.
Appointer| 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] Former Michigan governor, Jennifer Granholm, confirmed on February 25, 2021 under President Joe Biden, was the second woman to lead the Department of Energy.[7] Chris Wright is the current secretary of energy under the Trump administration, confirmed on February, 4, 2025.[8]

## Nuclear weapons

[edit]

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 approximately 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.[9] 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.[10] 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.[11]

## List of secretaries of energy

[edit]

Parties

Democratic (7)   Republican (11)

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 |  | Jennifer Granholm | Michigan | February 25, 2021 | January 20, 2025 | Democratic
– |  | Ingrid Kolb |  | January 20, 2025 | February 4, 2025 | Republican  |  | Donald Trump
(2025–present)
17 |  | Chris Wright | Colorado | February 4, 2025 | present  | Republican

## See also

[edit]

* United States Secretary of Transportation
* White House Office of Energy and Climate Change Policy

## References

[edit]

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". July 12, 2007. Archived from the original on 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. ^ "Senate confirms fracking executive Chris Wright as Trump's energy secretary". reuters.com. Retrieved February 11, 2025.
9. ^ "Atomic Energy Act of 1946" (PDF). US Library of Congress. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
10. ^ "Maintaining the Stockpile". US Department of Energy. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
11. ^ "Military Warheads as a Source of Nuclear Fuel". World Nuclear Association. Retrieved September 22, 2024.

## External links

[edit]

U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)

Preceded by

Sean Duffy

as Secretary of Transportation |  Order of precedence of the United States
as Secretary of Energy | Succeeded by

Linda McMahon

as Secretary of Education
U.S. presidential line of succession
Preceded by

Secretary of Transportation
Sean Duffy

|  15th in line  | Succeeded by

Secretary of Education
Linda McMahon

Links to related articles

* v
* t
* e

United States secretaries of energy

* Schlesinger
* Duncan
* Edwards
* Hodel
* Herrington
* Watkins
* O'Leary
* Peña
* Richardson
* Abraham
* Bodman
* Chu
* Moniz
* Perry
* Brouillette
* Granholm
* Wright

* v
* t
* e

United States Department of Energy

* Headquarters: James V. Forrestal Building

* Chris Wright, Secretary of Energy
* James Danly, Deputy Secretary of Energy

Deputy Secretary of Energy|

* Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence
* Energy Information Administration
* Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy

Under Secretary of Energy for Infrastructure|

Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, & Energy Response

Under Secretary of Energy for Nuclear Security|

* National Nuclear Security Administration

Under Secretary of Energy for Science and Innovation|

* Office of Science
* OSTI
* Office of Electricity
* Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
* Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management
* Office of Nuclear Energy

Assistant Secretary of Energy for Nuclear Energy|

Office of Nuclear Energy

Power Marketing Administration|

* Bonneville Power Administration
* Southeastern Power Administration
* Southwestern Power Administration
* Western Area Power Administration

National Laboratory System|

* Ames
* Argonne
* NBL
* CNM
* APS
* ATLAS
* EMC
* Berkeley
* ALS
* MF
* NCEM
* NERSC
* ESN
* JGI
* Brookhaven
* AGS
* CFN
* NSLS
* NSLS II
* RHIC
* Fermilab
* TeV
* Idaho
* RESL
* JLab
* Livermore
* NARAC
* NIF
* Los Alamos
* DARHTF
* NETL
* Albany
* NREL
* Oak Ridge
* SNS
* CNMS
* HFIR
* NCCS
* Pacific Northwest
* EMSL
* PPPL
* NSTX
* TFTR
* SRNL
* Sandia
* Z
* SLAC
* SSRL

Energy Department Facilities and Reservations|

* Fernald NLO
* Hanford
* K-25
* Kansas City Plant
* Nevada Test Site
* Area 19
* Area 20
* NHHOR
* Pantex
* Rocky Flats
* SSFL
* ETEC
* SRE
* SRS
* SPR
* WIPP
* Y-12
* Yucca Mountain

Related Independent Agency|

* Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

* v
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Leaders of the United States federal executive departments

Current|

* Agriculture
* Commerce
* Defense
* Education
* Energy
* Health and Human Services
* Homeland Security
* Housing and Urban Development
* Interior
* Justice
* Labor
* State
* Transportation
* Treasury
* Veterans Affairs

Past|

* Commerce and Labor
* Health, Education, and Welfare
* Navy
* Post Office
* War

* v
* t
* e

United States presidential line of succession

* Succession Clause of Article II, Section I (1788)
* 12th Amendment (1804)
* 20th Amendment (1933)
* 25th Amendment (1967)
* Presidential Succession Act

Current line|

1. Vice President (JD Vance)
2. Speaker of the House of Representatives (Mike Johnson)
3. President pro tempore of the Senate (Chuck Grassley)
4. Secretary of State (Marco Rubio)
5. Secretary of the Treasury (Scott Bessent)
6. Secretary of Defense (Pete Hegseth)
7. Attorney General (Pam Bondi)
8. Secretary of the Interior (Doug Burgum)
9. Secretary of Agriculture (Brooke Rollins)
10. Secretary of Commerce (Howard Lutnick)
11. Secretary of Labor (Lori Chavez-DeRemer)
12. Secretary of Health and Human Services (Robert F. Kennedy Jr.)
13. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (Scott Turner)
14. Secretary of Transportation (Sean Duffy)
15. Secretary of Energy (Chris Wright)
16. Secretary of Education (Linda McMahon)
17. Secretary of Veterans Affairs (Doug Collins)
18. Secretary of Homeland Security (Kristi Noem)

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