New Alignment Bolsters DOE’s Ability to Advance More Clean Energy Breakthroughs, Accelerate Clean Infrastructure Nationwide, Support Market-Ready Solutions to Fight the Climate Crisis

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced an organizational realignment to ensure that the Department has the structure needed to effectively implement the clean energy investments in President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Energy Act of 2020. The new organizational structure establishes two Under Secretaries: one focused on fundamental science and clean energy innovation and the other focused on deploying clean infrastructure—supporting DOE’s ongoing work to achieve carbon-free electricity in the U.S. by 2035 and a net zero economy by 2050. This strategic effort will seamlessly align DOE offices to deliver the nation’s equitable clean energy transition, create new, good-paying jobs for American families and workers, provide affordable and reliable energy, and fight climate change. These new offices will also strengthen partnerships with states, communities, and industry, to streamline clean infrastructure deployment and enhance domestic manufacturing.

“The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Energy Act of 2020 supercharge the Department of Energy to propel the U.S. economy towards cheaper, cleaner and more reliable energy,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “These structural changes set DOE up for success in carrying out all of our missions – and to carry them forward for the coming years and decades. Our strategic realignment optimizes the world-class expertise of our talented staff.  It builds new efficiencies across our enterprise and will maximize our ability to accelerate the technologies needed to grow clean energy jobs and fight the climate crisis.”    

“The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is an opportunity to deliver on President Biden’s commitments on climate, environmental justice and creating opportunities for good-paying union jobs in clean energy.  That’s why this realignment makes sense right now as we implement this once-in-a-generation investment. Over the next decade, it will allow for a more effective implementation of new programs and will allow the agency to be a better and more effective partner for states, communities, and the private sector,” said Mitch Landrieu, White House Senior Advisor and Infrastructure Implementation Coordinator

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Energy Act of 2020 provides over $60 billion primarily for new major clean energy demonstration and deployment programs and more than triples DOE’s annual funding for energy programs, including significantly expanded research and development (R&D) and entirely new demonstration and deployment missions. 

The new organizational chart reflecting the strategic realignment can be found here.  

This realignment mirrors the recent recommendations of leading CEOs and technology and labor leaders to unify leadership of DOE’s major deployment programs in order to rapidly unlock new clean energy advancements. The structure also encourages cross-program collaboration and coordination across the full commercialization spectrum.

The Under Secretary for Infrastructure 

The Under Secretary for Infrastructure (formerly Under Secretary for Energy) will focus on deploying clean energy solutions. To create skilled teams around infrastructure financing, project development, project management, and other key areas, the new Under Secretary will centralize existing offices focused on major demonstration and deployment with new offices. The existing offices moving to the new Under Secretary include DOE’s Loan Programs Office, Office of Indian Energy, Office of Clean Energy Demonstration, Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER), and the Federal Energy Management Program.  

Accompanying the announcement of the new Under Secretary is the launch of three new offices to support clean energy infrastructure deployment:  

  • The Grid Deployment Office to execute DOE’s Building a Better Grid initiative to modernize and upgrade the nation’s electric transmission lines and deploy cheaper, cleaner electricity across the country.  
  • The State and Community Energy Program to work more closely with states, localities, and communities to in the planning and deployment of decarbonization solutions. 
  • The Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains to ensure the energy industrial base is supported by a clean, resilient, domestic supply chain. 

The Under Secretary for Science and Innovation  

The offices in the Under Secretary for Science and Innovation (formerly the Undersecretary for Science and Energy) will continue their world leadership in driving research and development of energy technologies, with connected demonstration and deployment activities. Through the realignment the Office of Science, DOE’s applied energy offices, and DOE’s 17 National Labs will continue their core discovery science and innovation missions – including leveraging $12 billion in base appropriations as of fiscal year 2021 and $3.8 billion in funding in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Energy Act of 2020.

Join the Clean Energy Corps 

Addressing our country’s greatest and most urgent crisis will require a large, ambitious, and talented team of America’s best and brightest technical and policy experts, who are dedicated to fighting climate change through public service and supporting American competitiveness on a global scale. These critical positions will span across the offices within the Under Secretary for Science and Innovation, the Under Secretary for Infrastructure, and other cross-cutting offices. 

To meet this need, DOE announced in January the launch of its Clean Energy Corps, which is made up of staff from more than a dozen offices across DOE – current staff and an additional 1,000 new hires – who will work together to research, develop, demonstrate, and deploy solutions to climate change. The Clean Energy Corps’ new hiring portal will help streamline the application process for the industry veterans, experienced technical experts, and the next generation of clean energy leaders it seeks to attract. 

Apply to join DOE’s Clean Energy Corps at: www.energy.gov/CleanEnergyCorps

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