US Secretary of Energy
The United States Secretary of Energy is the head of the United States Department of Energy. This post was created on October 1, 1977, by President Jimmy Carter when he signed the Department of Energy Organization act. This position was created to focus on energy production and regulation, but during the 1980`s, the emphasis shifted to the development of technology for better, more efficient energy sources, as well as education about energy.
The first US Secretary of Energy was James Schlesinger, who was the former Secretary of Defense. The longest person to hold the position was Hazel R. O'Leary, Bill Clinton`s first Secretary of Energy. Barack Obama nominated Steven Chu as the Secretary of Defense but his nomination was denied by congress and Samuel W. Bodman kept the position. Barack Obama also established a new position, the Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change, and appointed Carol Browner to this new post.
In the line of presidential succession, the office is fifteenth in line.
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