DOE ACTING UNDER SECRETARY OF ENERGY ARUN MAJUMDAR RESIGNS

David Sandalow to Serve as Acting Under Secretary of Energy, Chu Says

Kenneth Fletcher
GHG Monitor
05/11/12

Acting Under Secretary of Energy Arun Majumdar, who also serves as director of Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, will leave the Department of Energy next month, DOE Secretary Steven Chu announced in a May 9 e-mail to employees. DOE Assistant Secretary for Policy and International Affairs David Sandalow took over Majumdar’s duties as acting under secretary of Energy this week, while Deputy Director of Technology Eric Toone will lead ARPA-E starting June 9. Majumdar was nominated to fill the under secretary position last fall, but Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) had placed a hold on the nomination, citing concerns about the Department’s actions regarding the future of the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant. The Administration is expected to seek a new candidate to nominate to the post, which has not been held in a permanent capacity since Under Secretary of Energy Kristina Johnson resigned in September 2010.

Majumdar had filled the role of under secretary since March 2011, when then-acting Under Secretary Cathy Zoi resigned. Before joining the Department in 2009, Majumdar was associate laboratory director for energy and environment at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory at the same time that Chu served as director of that lab. Majumdar cited family issues as his reason for leaving Washington. “Although I have been working in Washington DC for the last two and half years, my family remained in California because my two daughters were in high school, and my wife had a full-time job in finance. My routine was to spend two or three consecutive weeks in DC and then fly back to California for the weekend. This separation has been enormously difficult for my wife,” Majumdar said in a message to employees. He added, “Given the current acute situation, taking care of my family has now become my top priority.”

An ‘Invaluable Resource’

In his May 9 staff e-mail, Chu praised Majumdar for helping build ARPA-E, largely considered one of the Secretary’s signature energy programs. In particular, he highlighted his work creating ‘tech teams’ for carbon capture and utilization, smart grid and advanced battery research, as well as spearheading the SunShot Initiative, a DOE initiative aims to reduce the cost of solar-generated power. “Under Arun’s leadership, we have seen ARPA-E grow from a fledging program to become a leading agency for innovation and energy research,” the e-mail said. “Arun has recruited some of the most talented professionals across the country to join the ranks at ARPA-E and create programs that have the potential of changing the entire energy landscape.” He added, “Arun has been an invaluable resource to me, to the Department and to the Administration, and we will miss his leadership.”