United States Secretary of Energy facts for kids

Quick facts for kids United States Secretary of Energy
Flag of the secretary
Seal of the department
Incumbent Ingrid Kolb since January 20, 2025
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
Deputy	Deputy Secretary
Salary	Executive Schedule, level I

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. 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. 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. Hazel O'Leary, Bill Clinton’s first Secretary of Energy, was the first female and first African American to hold the position. 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.

President Joe Biden's nominee to be 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.

Nuclear weapons

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 ~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. 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. 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.

List of secretaries of energy

Parties

      Democratic (7)       Republican (9)

Status

      Acting Secretary of Energy

No.	Portrait	Name	State of residence	Took office	Left office	Party	President(s)
1		Schlesinger, JamesJames Schlesinger	Virginia	August 6, 1977	August 23, 1979	Republican		Carter, JimmyJimmy Carter (1977–1981)
2		Duncan, CharlesCharles Duncan	Texas	August 24, 1979	January 20, 1981	Democratic
3		Edwards, JamesJames Edwards	South Carolina	January 23, 1981	November 5, 1982	Republican		Reagan, RonaldRonald Reagan (1981–1989)
4		Hodel, DonaldDonald Hodel	Oregon	November 5, 1982	February 7, 1985	Republican
5		Herrington, JohnJohn Herrington	California	February 7, 1985	January 20, 1989	Republican
6		Watkins, JamesJames Watkins	California	March 1, 1989	January 20, 1993	Republican		Bush, George H. W.George H. W. Bush (1989–1993)
7		O'Leary, HazelHazel O'Leary	Virginia	January 22, 1993	January 20, 1997	Democratic		Clinton, BillBill Clinton (1993–2001)
–		Curtis, Charles B.Charles B. Curtis	Pennsylvania	January 20, 1997	March 12, 1997	Democratic
8		Peña, FedericoFederico Peña	Colorado	March 12, 1997	June 30, 1998	Democratic
9		Richardson, BillBill Richardson	New Mexico	August 18, 1998	January 20, 2001	Democratic
10		Abraham, SpencerSpencer Abraham	Michigan	January 20, 2001	February 1, 2005	Republican		Bush, George W.George W. Bush (2001–2009)
11		Bodman, SamuelSamuel Bodman	Illinois	February 1, 2005	January 20, 2009	Republican
12		Chu, StevenSteven Chu	California	January 20, 2009	April 22, 2013	Democratic		Obama, BarackBarack Obama (2009–2017)
–		Poneman, DanielDaniel Poneman	Ohio	April 22, 2013	May 21, 2013	Democratic
13		Moniz, ErnestErnest Moniz	Massachusetts	May 21, 2013	January 20, 2017	Democratic
–		Bochenek, GraceGrace Bochenek		January 20, 2017	March 2, 2017			Trump, DonaldDonald Trump (2017–2021)
14		Perry, RickRick Perry	Texas	March 2, 2017	December 1, 2019	Republican
15		Brouillette, DanDan Brouillette	Texas	December 1, 2019	December 4, 2019	Republican
				December 4, 2019	January 20, 2021
–		Huizenga, DavidDavid Huizenga		January 20, 2021	February 25, 2021	Democratic		Biden, JoeJoe Biden (2021–2025)
16		Granholm, JenniferJennifer Granholm	Michigan	February 25, 2021	January 20, 2025	Democratic
–		Kolb, IngridIngrid Kolb		January 20, 2025	present	Republican		Trump, DonaldDonald Trump (2025–present)

See also

In Spanish: Secretario de Energía de los Estados Unidos para niños

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