Ernest Moniz has won bi-partisan approval from the US Senate to become president Barack Obama’s new energy secretary.
The Senate yesterday unanimously voted the Massachusetts Institute of Technology physicist into the role.
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In a statement following confirmation of Moniz’s selection, Obama said: “[Dr Moniz] shares my conviction that the United States must lead the world in developing more sustainable sources of energy that create new jobs and new industries, and in responding to the threat of global climate change.
“I look forward to his counsel on these issues as my administration continues to increase our nation’s energy security, strengthen our nuclear security, develop the next-generation of clean energy technologies, and compete for the jobs of the 21st century.”
The nomination of Moniz caused some alarm among environmentalists because of his well-known support for natural gas and nuclear as energy sources.
In the Senate committee hearings leading up to his final selection for the role, Moniz said he was an advocate of Obama’s “all of the above” energy policy. This favours the development of a broad energy strategy encompassing energy efficiency, renewables, nuclear, carbon capture and sequestration and energy storage.
In the hearings he also said he would take early action on the development of storage technologies to support the roll-out of renewable generation, promising to begin the process of developing a national storage plan within 30 days of taking office.
And previously Moniz had indicated a “bullish” stance on solar, revealing in an interview with the Switch Energy Project that he believed it was an attractive long-term energy source.
Rhone Resch, president and chief executive of the Solar Energy Industries Association, said: “Ernest Moniz will be an outstanding secretary of energy. As a Massachusetts Institute of Technology physics professor, an expert in energy issues and a veteran of Washington politics, he is uniquely qualified to tackle the many policy challenges facing our nation and the world.”
