United States Department of Energy

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United States
Department of Energy
Seal of the Department of Energy
Seal of the Department of Energy
Agency overview
Formed August 4, 1977
Preceding Agencies Energy Research and Development Administration
 
Federal Energy Administration
Employees 16,100 federal
100,000 contract (2004)
Annual Budget $23.4 billion (2006)
Agency Executives Samuel W. Bodman, Secretary
 
Clay Sell, Deputy Secretary
Website
www.energy.gov

The United States Department of Energy (DOE) is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government responsible for energy policy and nuclear safety. Its responsibilities include the nation's nuclear weapons program, nuclear reactor production for the United States Navy, energy conservation, energy-related research, radioactive waste disposal, and domestic energy production. DOE also sponsors more basic and applied scientific research than any other US federal agency; most of this is funded through its system of United States Department of Energy National Laboratories.

The agency is administered by the United States Secretary of Energy, and its headquarters are located in southwest Washington, D.C., on Independence Avenue in the Forrestal Building, named for James Forrestal, as well as in Germantown, Maryland.

Contents

[edit] Operating units

DOE headquarters
DOE headquarters
United States Department of Energy logo as seen at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.
United States Department of Energy logo as seen at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

The Energy Information Administration (EIA) is an independent agency in the United States Department of Energy. It is the source for official energy statistics from the U.S. Government. EIA collects, analyzes, and publishes data as directed by law to ensure efficient markets, inform policy-making, and support public understanding of energy.

The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) is part of the United States Department of Energy. It works to improve national security through the military application of nuclear energy. The NNSA also maintains and improves the safety, reliability, and performance of the United States nuclear weapons stockpile, including the ability to design, produce, and test, in order to meet national security requirements.

The Department's Office of Secure Transportation (OST) provides safe and secure transportation of nuclear weapons and components and special nuclear materials, and conducts other missions supporting the national security of the United States of America. Since 1974, OST has been assigned responsibility to develop, operate, and manage a system for the safe and secure transportation of all government-owned, DOE or NNSA controlled special nuclear materials in "strategic" or "significant" quantities. Shipments are transported in specially designed equipment and are escorted by armed Federal Agents (Nuclear Material Couriers).

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is an independent regulatory agency within the U.S. Department of Energy. The Department also manages the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

The Office of Cyber Security maintains the Computer Incident Advisory Capability service (CIAC), which provides computer-security related bulletins going back to 1989. Also provides resources about protecting yourself from viruses, hoaxes and other malicious entities on the Internet.

National laboratories funded by the Department include:

There are four Power Marketing Administrations within the Department:

[edit] Responsibility for nuclear weapons

In the United States, all nuclear weapons deployed by the United States Department of Defense (DOD) are actually on loan to DOD from the DOE, which has federal responsibility for the design, testing and production of all nuclear weapons. DOE in turn uses contractors to carry out its responsibilities at the following sites:


[edit] History

Many federal agencies have been established to handle various aspects of U.S. energy policy, dating back to the creation of the Manhattan Project and the subsequent Atomic Energy Commission. The impetus for putting them all under the auspices of a single department was the 1973 energy crisis, in response to which President Jimmy Carter proposed creation of the department. The enabling legislation was passed by the United States Congress and signed into law by President Carter on August 4, 1977. The department began operations on October 1, 1977.

[edit] Related legislation

Hierarchy of the U.S. Department of Energy
Hierarchy of the U.S. Department of Energy

[edit] Staff

  • Andy Karsner is the Assistant Secretary of the United States Department of Energy

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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