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United States Department of Energy



 
 
The United States Department of Energy (DOE) is a Cabinet
United States Cabinet

The United States Cabinet is composed of the most senior appointed officers of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States, and its existence dates back to the first United States of America President of the United States, George Washington, who appointed a Cabinet of four people to advise and assist him in his dutie...
-level department of the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 government responsible for energy policy
Energy policy of the United States

The energy policy of the United States is determined by federal, state and local public entities in the United States, which address issues of energy production, distribution, and consumption, such as building codes and gas mileage standards....
 and nuclear safety
Nuclear safety

Nuclear safety covers the actions taken to prevent nuclear and radiation accidents or to limit their consequences. This covers nuclear power plants as well as all other nuclear facilities, the transportation of nuclear materials, the use and storage of nuclear materials for medical, power, industry, and military uses....
. Its responsibilities include the nation's nuclear weapon
Nuclear weapon

A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either nuclear fission or a combination of fission and nuclear fusion....
s program, nuclear reactor
Nuclear reactor

A nuclear reactor is a device in which nuclear chain reactions are initiated, controlled, and sustained at a steady rate, as opposed to a nuclear bomb, in which the chain reaction occurs in a fraction of a second and is uncontrolled causing an explosion....
 production for the United States Navy
United States Navy

The United States Navy is the navy of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy currently has approximately 331,682 personnel on active duty as of 31 December 2008 and 124,000 in the United States Navy Reserve....
, energy conservation
Energy conservation

Energy conservation is the practice of decreasing the quantity of energy used. It may be achieved through efficient energy use, in which case energy use is decreased while achieving a similar outcome, or by reduced consumption of energy services....
, energy-related research, radioactive waste
Radioactive waste

Radioactive wastes are waste types containing radioactive decay chemical elements that do not have a practical purpose. They are usually the products of nuclear processes, such as nuclear fission....
 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
United States Department of Energy National Laboratories

The United States Department of Energy National Laboratories and Technology Centers are a system of facilities and laboratories overseen by the United States Department of Energy for the purpose of advancing science and helping promote the economic and defensive national interests of the United States of America....
.

The agency is administered by the United States Secretary of Energy
United States Secretary of Energy

The United States Secretary of Energy is the head of the United States Department of Energy, a member of the President of the United States United States Cabinet, and fifteenth in the Presidential line of succession....
, and its headquarters are located in southwest
Washington, D.C. (southwest)

Southwest is the southwestern Quadrants of Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States, and is located south of the National Mall and west of South Capitol Street....
 Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C. , formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D.C., is the Capital of the United States, founded on July 16, 1790....
, on Independence Avenue
Independence Avenue

In Washington, D.C., Independence Avenue is a major east-west street running just south of the United States Capitol in the city's Washington, D.C....
 in the Forrestal Building, named for James Forrestal
James Forrestal

James Vincent Forrestal was a United States Secretary of the Navy and the first United States United States Secretary of Defense.Forrestal was a supporter of naval carrier battle group centered on aircraft carriers....
, as well as in Germantown, Maryland.

federal agencies have been established to handle various aspects of U.S.






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The United States Department of Energy (DOE) is a Cabinet
United States Cabinet

The United States Cabinet is composed of the most senior appointed officers of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States, and its existence dates back to the first United States of America President of the United States, George Washington, who appointed a Cabinet of four people to advise and assist him in his dutie...
-level department of the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 government responsible for energy policy
Energy policy of the United States

The energy policy of the United States is determined by federal, state and local public entities in the United States, which address issues of energy production, distribution, and consumption, such as building codes and gas mileage standards....
 and nuclear safety
Nuclear safety

Nuclear safety covers the actions taken to prevent nuclear and radiation accidents or to limit their consequences. This covers nuclear power plants as well as all other nuclear facilities, the transportation of nuclear materials, the use and storage of nuclear materials for medical, power, industry, and military uses....
. Its responsibilities include the nation's nuclear weapon
Nuclear weapon

A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either nuclear fission or a combination of fission and nuclear fusion....
s program, nuclear reactor
Nuclear reactor

A nuclear reactor is a device in which nuclear chain reactions are initiated, controlled, and sustained at a steady rate, as opposed to a nuclear bomb, in which the chain reaction occurs in a fraction of a second and is uncontrolled causing an explosion....
 production for the United States Navy
United States Navy

The United States Navy is the navy of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy currently has approximately 331,682 personnel on active duty as of 31 December 2008 and 124,000 in the United States Navy Reserve....
, energy conservation
Energy conservation

Energy conservation is the practice of decreasing the quantity of energy used. It may be achieved through efficient energy use, in which case energy use is decreased while achieving a similar outcome, or by reduced consumption of energy services....
, energy-related research, radioactive waste
Radioactive waste

Radioactive wastes are waste types containing radioactive decay chemical elements that do not have a practical purpose. They are usually the products of nuclear processes, such as nuclear fission....
 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
United States Department of Energy National Laboratories

The United States Department of Energy National Laboratories and Technology Centers are a system of facilities and laboratories overseen by the United States Department of Energy for the purpose of advancing science and helping promote the economic and defensive national interests of the United States of America....
.

The agency is administered by the United States Secretary of Energy
United States Secretary of Energy

The United States Secretary of Energy is the head of the United States Department of Energy, a member of the President of the United States United States Cabinet, and fifteenth in the Presidential line of succession....
, and its headquarters are located in southwest
Washington, D.C. (southwest)

Southwest is the southwestern Quadrants of Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States, and is located south of the National Mall and west of South Capitol Street....
 Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C. , formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D.C., is the Capital of the United States, founded on July 16, 1790....
, on Independence Avenue
Independence Avenue

In Washington, D.C., Independence Avenue is a major east-west street running just south of the United States Capitol in the city's Washington, D.C....
 in the Forrestal Building, named for James Forrestal
James Forrestal

James Vincent Forrestal was a United States Secretary of the Navy and the first United States United States Secretary of Defense.Forrestal was a supporter of naval carrier battle group centered on aircraft carriers....
, as well as in Germantown, Maryland.

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
Manhattan Project

The Manhattan Project was the project to develop the first atomic weapon during World War II; involving the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada....
 and the subsequent Atomic Energy Commission
Atomic Energy Commission

Many countries have or have had an Atomic Energy Commission. These include:* Australian Atomic Energy Commission * Danish 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
Jimmy Carter

James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 1977 to 1981 and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize....
 proposed creation of the department. The enabling legislation was passed by the United States Congress
United States Congress

The United States Congress is the Bicameralism legislature of the Federal government of the United States of the United States of America, consisting of two houses, the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives....
 and signed into law by Carter on August 4, 1977. The department began operations on October 1, 1977.

Operating units

Us Dept of Energy Forrestal Building
Usadeptenergypnnl200106
The Energy Information Administration
Energy Information Administration

The United States Energy Information Administration , created by United States Congress in 1977, is the independent statistical agency within the United States Department of Energy....
 (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
National Nuclear Security Administration

The United States National Nuclear Security Administration is part of the United States Department of Energy. It works to improve national security through the military application of nuclear energy....
 (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
Office of Secure Transportation

The U.S. Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration's Office of Secure Transportation 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....
 (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
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is the United States Independent agencies of the United States government with jurisdiction over wiktionary:interstate electricity sales, wholesale electric rates, hydroelectricity license, natural gas pricing, and pipeline transport rates....
 is an independent regulatory agency within the U.S. Department of Energy. The Department also manages the Strategic Petroleum Reserve
Strategic Petroleum Reserve

The Strategic Petroleum Reserve is an emergency fuel store of oil maintained by the United States United States Department of Energy.The US SPR is the largest emergency supply in the world with the current capacity to hold up to ....
.

DOE facilities

  • Albany Research Center
    Albany Research Center

    The Albany Research Center, now part of National Energy Technology Laboratory , is a U.S. Department of Energy laboratory staffed by Federal employees located in Albany, Oregon....
  • Bannister Federal Complex
    Bannister Federal Complex

    The Bannister Federal Complex is a Federal government of the United States complex located at 1500 E. Bannister Road in Kansas City, Missouri. The complex consists of 10 buildings located at the corner of Troost Avenue and Bannister Road....
  • Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory
    Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory

    Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory is a Federal government of the United States-owned, contractor-operated research and development facility located in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania....
  • Center for Functional Nanomaterials
    Center for Functional Nanomaterials

    The Center for Functional Nanomaterials at Brookhaven National Laboratory will provide state-of-the-art capabilities for the fabrication and study of nanoscale materials, with an emphasis on atomic-level tailoring of nanomaterials to achieve desired properties and functions....
     (under design or construction)
  • Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies
    Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies

    The Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies is one of five Nanoscale Science Research Centers the United States Department of Energy sponsors. The Center's "core facility" is located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, New Mexico....
     (under design or construction)
  • Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences
    Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences

    The Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences was the first to open of the five Nanoscale Science Research Centers the United States Department of Energy sponsors....
  • Center for Nanoscale Materials
    Center for Nanoscale Materials

    The Center for Nanoscale Materials is one of five Nanoscale Science Research Centers the United States Department of Energy sponsors. The Center is at Argonne National Laboratory location in Argonne, Illinois....
     (under design or construction)
  • Environmental Measurements Laboratory
    Environmental Measurements Laboratory

    The Environmental Measurements Laboratory , a United States government-owned, government-operated laboratory, is part of the Science and Technology Directorate of the Department of Homeland Security ....
     (now affiliated with the Department of Homeland Security)
  • Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory
    Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory

    Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory is a research and development facility dedicated to the support of the US Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program ? a joint program of the United States Navy and United States Department of Energy, responsible for the research, design, construction, operation, and maintenance of U.S....
     - operates for Naval Reactors Program Research under the DOE - DOE facility, not a National Laboratory
  • Molecular Foundry
    Molecular Foundry

    Sorry, no overview for this topic
     - part of LBL
  • National Petroleum Technology Office
    National Petroleum Technology Office

    The National Petroleum Technology Office was an agency of the United States Department of Energy. It is now known as the Strategic Center for Natural Gas and Oil....
  • New Brunswick Laboratory
    New Brunswick Laboratory

    The New Brunswick Laboratory , is a Government-owned, Government-operated, center of excellence in the measurement science of nuclear materials....
  • Radiological & Environmental Sciences Laboratory
  • Yucca Mountain
    Yucca Mountain

    From 1987 to 2009, Yucca Mountain Repository was the proposed United States Department of Energy deep geological repository storage facility for Spent nuclear fuel and other radioactive waste....


Responsibility for nuclear weapons

In the United States, all nuclear weapons deployed by the United States Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense

The United States Department of Defense is the federal department charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government relating directly to national security and the Military of the United States....
 (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:
  • Design of the nuclear components of the weapon: Los Alamos National Laboratory
    Los Alamos National Laboratory

    Los Alamos National Laboratory is a United States Department of Energy United States Department of Energy National Labs, managed and operated by Los Alamos National Security, LLC , located in Los Alamos, New Mexico....
     and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
    Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

    The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, California is a scientific research laboratory founded by the University of California in 1952....
  • Engineering of the weapon systems: Sandia National Laboratory
  • Manufacturing of key components: Los Alamos National Laboratory
    Los Alamos National Laboratory

    Los Alamos National Laboratory is a United States Department of Energy United States Department of Energy National Labs, managed and operated by Los Alamos National Security, LLC , located in Los Alamos, New Mexico....
     and Y-12 National Security Complex
    Y-12 National Security Complex

    The Y-12 National Security Complex is a United States Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration facility located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, near the Oak Ridge National Laboratory....
  • Testing: Nevada Test Site
    Nevada Test Site

    The Nevada Test Site is a United States Department of Energy reservation located in Nye County, Nevada, about 65 miles northwest of the City of Las Vegas, Nevada, near ....
  • Final weapon/warhead assembling/dismantling: Pantex
    Pantex

    The Pantex plant is America's only nuclear weapons assembly and disassembly facility and is charged with maintaining the safety, security and reliability of the nation?s nuclear weapons stockpile....


Controversy

During the Wen Ho Lee
Wen Ho Lee

Wen Ho Lee is a Taiwan-born Chinese-United States scientist who worked for the University of California at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. A federal grand jury indicted him of stealing secrets about United States nuclear weapon for the People's Republic of China in December 1999....
 scandal, involving stolen nuclear secrets from Los Alamos National Laboratory
Los Alamos National Laboratory

Los Alamos National Laboratory is a United States Department of Energy United States Department of Energy National Labs, managed and operated by Los Alamos National Security, LLC , located in Los Alamos, New Mexico....
, hearings were called in Congress regarding the Department of Energy's handling of the matter. Republican senators thought that an independent agency should be in charge of nuclear weapons and security issues, not the Department of Energy. Federal officials, including then-Energy Secretary Bill Richardson, had publicly named Lee as a suspect in the theft of classified nuclear documents before he was charged with a crime; he was later cleared of the spying charges and won a settlement with the federal government.

Related legislation

  • 1920 - Federal Power Act
    Federal Power Act

    The Federal Power Act is a law appearing in chapter 12 of Title 16 of the United States Code, "Federal regulation and development of power". Enacted as the Federal Water Power Act in 1920, its original purpose was coordinating Hydroelectricity projects in the United States....
  • 1946 - Atomic Energy Act
    Atomic Energy Act

    The Atomic Energy Act may refer to a number of different laws around the world, usually meant to govern nuclear power and/or nuclear weapons production....
     PL 79-585 (created the Atomic Energy Commission
    United States Atomic Energy Commission

    The United States Atomic Energy Commission was an agency of the United States government established after World War II by United States Congress to foster and control the peace time development of atomic science and technology....
    )
  • 1954 - Atomic Energy Act Amendments PL 83-703
  • 1956 - Colorado River Storage Project
    Colorado River Storage Project

    The Colorado River Storage Project is a United States United States Bureau of Reclamation project designed to oversee the development of the upper Colorado River Colorado drainage basins....
     PL 84-485
  • 1957 - Atomic Energy Commission Acquisition of Property PL 85-162
  • 1957 - Price-Anderson Nuclear Industries Indemnity Act
    Price-Anderson Nuclear Industries Indemnity Act

    The Price-Anderson Nuclear Industries Indemnity Act is a United States federal law, first passed in 1957 and since renewed several times, which governs liability-related issues for all non-military nuclear facilities constructed in the United States before 2026....
     PL 85-256
  • 1968 - Natural Gas Pipeline Safety Act PL 90-481
  • 1973 - Mineral Leasing Act Amendments (Trans-Alaska Oil Pipeline Authorization) PL 93-153
  • 1974 - Energy Reorganization Act PL 93-438 (Split the AEC into the Energy Research and Development Administration
    Energy Research and Development Administration

    The United States Energy Research and Development Administration was a United States government organization formed from the split of the Atomic Energy Commission in 1975....
     and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
    Nuclear Regulatory Commission

    Nuclear Regulatory Commission is a United States government agency that was established by the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974 in 1974, and was first opened January 19, 1975....
    )
  • 1975 - Energy Policy and Conservation Act
    Energy Policy and Conservation Act

    The Energy Policy and Conservation Act declared it to be U.S. policy to establish a reserve of up to 1 billion barrels of petroleum. President Gerald Ford signed the legislation on December 22, 1975, setting the Strategic Petroleum Reserve into motion....
     PL 94-163
  • 1977 - Department of Energy Organization Act PL 95-91 (Dismantled ERDA and replaced it with the Department of Energy)
  • 1978 - National Energy Act
    National Energy Act

    The National Energy Act of 1978 was a legislative response by the U.S. Congress to the 1973 energy crisis. It includes the following statutes:...
     PL 95-617, 618, 619, 620, 621
  • 1980 - Energy Security Act
    Energy Security Act

    The Energy Security Act was signed into law by U.S. President Jimmy Carter on June 30, 1980.It consisted of six major acts:* U.S. Synthetic Fuels Corporation Act...
     PL 96-294
  • 1989 - Natural Gas Wellhead Decontrol Act PL 101-60
  • 1992 - Energy Policy Act of 1992
    Energy Policy Act of 1992

    The Energy Policy Act is a United States government Act of Congress.It was passed by United States Congress and addressed energy efficiency, energy conservation and energy management , natural gas imports and exports , alternative fuels and requiring certain fleets to acquire alternative fuel vehicles, which are capable of operating on nonp...
     PL 102-486
  • 2005 - Energy Policy Act of 2005
    Energy Policy Act of 2005

    The Energy Policy Act of 2005 is a Act of Congress passed by the United States Congress on July 29, 2005, and signed into law by President George W....
     PL 109-58
  • 2007 - Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007
    Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007

    The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 is an Act of Congress concerning the energy policy of the United States which was introduced in the United States House of Representatives by United States Democratic Party as part of their 100-Hour Plan during the 110th United States Congress sponsored by Representative Nick Rahall of West V...
     PL 110-140
  • 2008 - Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008
    Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008

    File:2008 Farm Bill logo .jpgThe Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 is a $288 billion, five-year agricultural policy bill being considered by the United States Congress as a continuation of the 2002 Farm Bill....
     PL 110-234


Energy Savings Performance Contract


Energy Savings Performance Contract
Energy Savings Performance Contract

An Energy Savings Performance Contract is a contract under which a contractor designs, constructs, and obtains the necessary financing for an energy savings project, and the federal agency makes payments over time to the contractor from the savings in the agency's utility bills....
s (ESPC
ESPC

ESPC may refer to:* Embroidery Software Protection Coalition* Email Sender and Provider Coalition* Energy Savings Performance Contract...
s) are contracts under which a contractor designs, constructs, and obtains the necessary financing for an energy savings project, and the federal agency makes payments over time to the contractor from the savings in the agency's utility bills. The contractor guarantees the energy improvements will generate savings, and after the contract ends, all continuing cost savings accrue to the federal agency .

See also

  • Advanced Energy Initiative
  • Energy Policy Act of 2005
    Energy Policy Act of 2005

    The Energy Policy Act of 2005 is a Act of Congress passed by the United States Congress on July 29, 2005, and signed into law by President George W....
  • North American Solar Challenge
  • Nuclear Regulatory Commission
    Nuclear Regulatory Commission

    Nuclear Regulatory Commission is a United States government agency that was established by the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974 in 1974, and was first opened January 19, 1975....
  • Twenty In Ten
    Twenty In Ten

    In December 2007, President Bush signed the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, which responded to his "Twenty in Ten" challenge in the State of the Union Address to improve vehicle fuel economy and increase alternative fuels....
  • Institute of Nuclear Materials Management
    Institute of Nuclear Materials Management

    The Institute of Nuclear Materials Management is a technical and professional organization dedicated to the safe handling of nuclear material throughout the world....


External links

  • .