ECA Update January 22, 2021 DOE Reorganizaton Announced

Image Jan 22, 2021 FEATURED DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY DOE Reorganization Announced ECA Staff | 1/13/2021 The first reorganization in the Biden Administration of DOE is now announced. The new org chart is below. A couple of notes: EM now reports to the Secretary’s office (instead of the Undersecretary for Science). The new Undersecretary for Science and Energy oversees NE and other energy programs. This brings all of the energy programs under one Undersecretary. Also, the new Secretary-designate has her confirmation hearing on Wednesday (January 27). The earliest she would start is in the beginning of February. No nominees have been named publicly for NNSA, EM, NE or the Undersecretaries. ECA will keep you posted on the progress. For more information on ECA transition priorities, please see our transition paper here. (Click the image below to enlarge the chart) Image Below is the message from the new DOE Chief of Staff on the changes: "I have heard from so many of you in these past few days. Thank you for your warm welcome. I am looking forward to working with all of you, listening to your ideas and experiences, learning from your insights, and accomplishing the mission of The Department of Energy (DOE). President Biden has charged his appointees at DOE to forge new partnerships with the career civil service so that we may all bring relief to the American people amid the current crises and ensure our Nation builds back better. The President has recorded a brief video message to share his values and his commitment to you in his own words. I also want to share with you an update on the new DOE organizational structure and those who have been appointed by the President to lead several DOE organizations. We have taken an immediate step to update the Department’s organizational structure so that the applied energy programs report to the same Under Secretary as the Office of Science. This Under Secretary portfolio has been renamed to the Office of the Under Secretary for Science and Energy. Once we have a confirmed Secretary of Energy, DOE’s organizational structure will be further reviewed and potentially modified. The new DOE organizational chart is attached. Office of the Secretary and Direct Reports – As announced on Wednesday, Dave Huizenga is the acting Secretary of Energy. Christopher Davis is the Special Assistant to the Secretary and Caroline Grey is the new White House Liaison. The new Director of the Office of Public Affairs is David Mayorga. There are many offices that report directly to the Office of the Secretary, which now include the Office of Environmental Management (EM) and the Office of Legacy Management (LM). Below is the list of individuals who were appointed to principal deputy positions or were designated by the President to serve in acting roles reporting directly to the Office of the Secretary: Chief Financial Officer (CF): Chris Johns Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs (CI): Ali Nouri, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Environmental Management (EM): Ike White International Affairs (IA): Andrew Light, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Office of the Under Secretary – This new Under Secretary portfolio has two offices, Environment, Health, Safety, and Security (AU) and Project Management Oversight and Assessments (PM), who continue to be led by its career Directors. Office of the Under Secretary for Science and Energy – This new Under Secretary portfolio now has responsibility for overall stewardship of the basic science and energy programs, their budgets, the laboratories associated with these programs, and crosscutting energy research. Under this arrangement, DOE will be better able to coordinate its RD&D programs in response to the climate crisis. The new Director of the Office of Technology Transitions (OTT) is Vanessa Chan. She is also the Department’s new Chief Commercialization Officer. Below is the list of individuals who were appointed to principal deputy positions or were designated by the President to serve in acting roles reporting directly to the Under Secretary for Science and Energy: Cybersecurity, Energy Security and Emergency Response (CESER): Pat Hoffman Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE): Kelly Speakes-Backman, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Fossil Energy (FE): Jennifer Wilcox, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Nuclear Energy (NE): Dennis Miotla Office of the Under Secretary for Nuclear Security – We are pleased to announce Dr. Charles Verdon has agreed to remain the Deputy Administrator for Defense Programs (NA-10) and has been designated by the President to act as the Under Secretary for Nuclear Security and the Administrator for the National Nuclear Security Administration. Catherine Mendelsohn is the acting Deputy Administrator for Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation." Upcoming ECA Events Jan. 25, 2021 ECA Advancing Alliances: Building Nuclear Workforce Development Initiatives in Communities; Virtual Feb. 24, 2021 Webinar: Defense High Level Waste: Path Forward in the New Administration; Virtual Sept. 8-10, 2021 National Cleanup Workshop; Alexandria, VA Follow the latest DOE budget updates with ECA's budget tracker Image Monitor DOE spending bills, detailed site budgets, and more. Find everything you need to know about the DOE budget here! IN OTHER NEWS EXECUTIVE BRANCH New Energy Department roles look to animate Biden's campaign themes (Axios, 1/22) NEW START TREATY Russia welcomes US proposal to extend nuclear treaty (Associated Press, 1/22) UPCOMING EVENTS Jan. 25, 2021 ECA Advancing Alliances: Building Nuclear Workforce Development Initiatives in Communities; Virtual Feb. 24, 2021 Webinar: Defense High Level Waste: Path Forward in the New Administration; Virtual Sept. 8-10, 2021 National Cleanup Workshop; Alexandria, VA ECA PUBLICATIONS Read about DOE's High Level Waste Interpretation Have questions about DOE’s recent high-level waste (HLW) interpretation? Download ECA’s Key Points and FAQs on the issue to better understand what ECA believes are the potential benefits of implementation. ECA's Key Points on DOE HLW Interpretation ECA's FAQs on DOE HLW Interpretation Interested in learning more? Read the ECA report “Making Informed Decisions on DOE's Proposed High Level Waste Definition” at www.energyca.org/publications ECA BULLETIN Stay Current on Activities in the DOE World Read the latest edition of the ECA Bulletin, a regular newsletter providing a detailed brief of ECA activities, legislative news, and major events from across the DOE complex. Have suggestions for future editions? Email bulletin@energyca.org. View current and previous editions of the ECA Bulletin at www.energyca.org/bulletin DOE SITE PROFILES Learn More about Cleanup Sites with ECA's DOE Site Profiles ECA's new site profiles detail DOE's 13 active Environmental Management cleanup sites and national laboratories, highlighting their history, missions, and priorities. The profiles are a key source for media, stakeholders, and the public to learn more about DOE site activities, contractors, advisory boards, and their surrounding local governments. Access your community's profile by visiting: www.energyca.org/site-profiles DOE Site Proflies Energy Communities Alliance 1625 Eye St., NW Suite 800 Washington DC 20006 USA © 2019 Energy Communities Alliance, Inc. All rights reserved.