Energy Dept.

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Agency Sides With Theory That Lab Leak Sparked Pandemic

Energy Department agrees with FBI's conclusion, for a different reason

(Newser) - The COVID-19 pandemic probably began with a laboratory leak, the Energy Department has decided. The agency, which had not expressed a view on the origin of the coronavirus, added its finding to a previous classified intelligence report sent to the White House and certain members of Congress, the Wall Street ...

Energy Dept. Official Fired After Allegedly Stealing Luggage

Sam Brinton was one of the first openly non-binary people hired by the federal government

(Newser) - Sam Brinton, who made headlines when they became one of the federal government's first openly non-binary officials, is no longer employed by the Department of Energy after they were accused of stealing luggage on two separate occasions from two different airports. Brinton, 35, is accused of stealing a woman'...

Feds 'Ready to Rock-and-Roll' in Push to Expand Wind Power

Administration to support huge expansion in East Coast offshore wind projects

(Newser) - National Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy says the Biden administration is "ready to rock-and-roll" with plans to boost offshore wind energy production along the East Coast. McCarthy said Monday that the administration plans to speed up development of clean energy projects and generate 30 million gigawatts of offshore wind power—...

Trump's Dishwasher Lament Generates Attention

'Now you press it 12 times. Women tell me ...'

(Newser) - President Trump gave one of his longest speeches to date Wednesday night, with ridicule of his impeachment in the House a big topic. But Trump also hit on a less consequential issue that's now generating headlines: dishwashers. As in, the machines in people's kitchens. "Remember the dishwasher?...

House Investigators to Perry: You're Up. Perry: Nope

Spokeswoman for energy secretary says he'll only 'partake' in impeachment inquiry if it's public

(Newser) - The first member of Trump's Cabinet has been summoned to testify in the impeachment inquiry on the president—and it looks like he may not be going. A source tells the AP that Rick Perry's House appearance is set for Wednesday, but the energy secretary has already ignored...

Reports: Trump Is About to Lose Another Cabinet Member

Announcement from Energy Secretary Rick Perry on his resignation said to be coming soon

(Newser) - Looks like the Trump administration is about to lose another Cabinet member. Politico reported late Thursday that Energy Secretary Rick Perry is set to announce he's stepping down, with sources "familiar with his plans" saying his departure would come by the end of next month. The Washington Post...

Introducing America's New Export, 'Freedom Gas'

Department of Energy's new term is met with skepticism

(Newser) - Why call it liquefied natural gas when you can call it "freedom gas"? The patriotic term is making headlines after being spotted in a press release from the Department of Energy. On Tuesday, the department headed by Rick Perry announced that exports of the fuel source would be...

Rick Perry Sorry He Wanted to Get Rid of Energy Dept.

Statements 'do not reflect my current thinking,' says appointee

(Newser) - Oops . Rick Perry, who famously pledged to get rid of the Energy Department while simultaneously forgetting its name in 2012, says he regrets that now that he's learned what the department actually does, the Washington Post reports. Perry is Donald Trump's pick to head the department, and...

Rick Perry Coverage Has One Clear Theme

It's not hard to spot

(Newser) - News that Donald Trump has settled on Rick Perry to run the Energy Department prompted a slew of stories Tuesday with one common refrain, and the former Texas governor must be thrilled with it. Here's a sampling:
  • NBC News : "President-elect Donald Trump has selected former Texas Gov. Rick
...

Energy Department Rebuffs 'Unsettling' Trump Request

Refuses to give out names of those working on climate change

(Newser) - Donald Trump's transition team sent a memo with 74 questions to the Energy Department this week, among them a request for the names of people who have worked on climate change issues recently. Specifically, it requested a list of all employees and contractors who attended the UN's annual...

Good News for Your Summer Road Trip

Lowest prices in 6 years are predicted—a $2.45-per-gallon average

(Newser) - Not since 2009 have we seen the gas prices that industry experts are expecting this summer driving season—but in a good way. Per a US Energy Department forecast , gas will cost an average of $2.45 for a gallon of regular between April and September, typically the nation's...

Feds Have Collected Billions for Nonexistent Nuke Project

And that practice must end, a federal appeals court ruled yesterday

(Newser) - Ever since 1983, the Energy Department has been collecting fees paid for by Americans who use nuclear-generated electricity. The tenth-of-a-cent charge per each kilowatt-hour of electricity adds up to about $750 million a year, earmarked to pay for a program disposing of these power plants' nuclear waste. Only, uh, that...

Obama Naming Energy, EPA Honchos Today

Picks Ernest Moniz, Gina McCarthy to fill the key vacancies

(Newser) - President Obama will appoint a new energy secretary and new head of the Environmental Protection Agency today, according to a White House official. Obama is nominating MIT scientist Ernest Moniz to head the Energy Department and EPA veteran Gina McCarthy to run the environmental agency. She currently serves as EPA'...

World's Fastest Supercomputer Still American

Cray system known as 'Titan' takes top spot

(Newser) - The US still holds the crown for fastest supercomputer, but it's now a Cray XK7 system known as Titan that has overtaken the previous titleholder, the IBM Sequoia . US and German researchers found that Titan, funded by the Department of Energy and housed at the US government's Oak...

Chu: Solyndra Wasn't About Politics

Energy chief defends loan to Congress

(Newser) - Energy Secretary Steven Chu offered a spirited defense of his department’s loan guarantees to Solyndra today, telling Congress that the loan program is necessary to keep US alternative energy companies competitive, and insisting that he didn’t know Solyndra was connected to a major Obama fundraiser, the Washington Post...

Energy Dept. Asked Solyndra to Delay Layoff Announcement

...until day after 2010 midterm elections

(Newser) - More bad Solyndra press for the Obama administration: Emails released yesterday show that the Energy Department pushed the struggling solar company to delay announcing employee layoffs until after the 2010 midterm elections. On Oct. 25 of that year, Solyndra’s CEO sent the agency an email explaining that layoffs would...

Car Maker Gets $529M US Loan, Builds Car in Finland

Claims money was all spent on US design work

(Newser) - Another Energy Department loan guarantee is coming under scrutiny. ABC News has discovered that the Obama administration doled out a $529 million guarantee to Fisker Automotive to build its new state-of-the-art luxury hybrid, only to see Fisker build the car in a factory in Finland. Fisker says there were simply...

Treasury Worried That Solyndra Loan Was Illegal

Energy Dept. pushed ahead, amid potential conflict of interest

(Newser) - New emails are out in the Solyndra mess , and it's probably not a great day to be a guy named Steve Spinner. He is an Obama-fundraiser-turned-Energy-Department-official who pushed hard for the loan even though he promised to recuse himself—because his wife worked as an attorney for the firm...

Energy Loan Official Leaving Amid Solyndra Flap

White House says Jonathan Silver's departure was long planned

(Newser) - The head of the Energy Department's embattled clean-energy loan program is leaving in what officials called a planned departure. Jonathan Silver, who has headed the loan program since November 2009, is leaving to join a nonpartisan think tank. The program has come under fire from Republicans after Solyndra , a...

Thanks to Obama, My Toilet Won't Flush: Rand Paul

Senator slams administration's energy-efficiency rules

(Newser) - Sen. Rand Paul yesterday ripped into the Energy Department's efficiency rules, which he says require Americans to buy poorly-flushing toilets and unwanted light bulbs, reports USA Today . "My toilets don't work in my house. And I blame you and people like you who want to tell me what I...

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