PRESIDENT TRUMP RAPIDLY FILLING OUT DOE & NUCLEAR LEADERSHIP

After his inauguration on Monday, President Donald Trump quickly nominated a flurry of appointees to fill positions within the Department of Energy (DOE) and other government agencies, including: 

  • James Danly – to be Deputy Secretary, DOE

    • Danly previously served on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)

  • Darío Gil – Undersecretary for Science, DOE

  • Preston Wells Griffith - Under Secretary of Energy, DOE

    • Griffith had previously served as Acting Assistant Secretary for International Affairs at the DOE

  • Brandon Williams - Under Secretary for Nuclear Security, DOE & National Nuclear Security Administrator (NNSA)

    • Williams served as Representative for New York's 22nd Congressional District from 2023-2025

  • David Wright – Chair of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)

    • Wright has served as a Commissioner for the NRC since 2018 

The new administration also announced that Ingrid Kolb will serve as Acting Secretary of DOE until the Secretary nominee, Chris Wright, is confirmed by the Senate. ECA membership may recognize Ingrid Kolb, as she has attended various ECA meetings and been supportive of ECA. ECA expects that Chris Wright will assume the position of Secretary by the end of the week.

The transition of administrations will also bring a restructuring to DOE. The Office of Environmental Management (EM), and Legacy Management (LM) are expected to report to the Undersecretary for Science.  There has also been discussion about NE reporting to the Undersecretary for Science. 

ECA will provide the additional information as we learn more about the proposed reorganization, which will develop through a process.   

ECA also looks to provide an in-depth update on what the transition of administrations means for DOE and its offices in the coming weeks. 

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