Ernest Moniz has been confirmed by the Senate to be the nation’s next Secretary of Energy, replacing Steven Chu. The vote was unanimous, 97-0. Republican Senators Blunt, Coburn, and Moran did not vote.
Energy and Natural Resources Chairman Ron Wyden:
“My Senate colleagues recognize that Dr. Moniz is smart, he is savvy about how the Department of Energy operates because he has been there before, and he has a proven track record of collaboration, which is just what you need when you’re leading the Department of Energy, I look forward to working with him to address the hugely important issues facing the department: how to manage newly accessible reserves of natural gas, how to combat climate change, how to make our economy more efficient and how to clean up Hanford and other nuclear waste sites.”