Jennifer Granholm, the 16th U.S. secretary of energy, formally said goodbye to DOE staff Thursday and the Joe Biden White House announced Ingrid Kolb, the head of the agency’s management office, will become acting secretary effective at noon Monday.
In addition, Teresa Robbins will step in as acting administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration, the Biden administration said. The acting DOE officials will mind the stores until President-elect Donald Trump gets his picks confirmed by the senate, or makes alternate interim appointments. Trump will be inaugurated and begin his second term Monday.
In a “Dear Team DOE” letter, viewed by Exchange Monitor, Granholm said “I am filled with deep gratitude, enormous pride, and optimism for the future of this incredible Department and the remarkable workforce behind it. “
“Amid daunting global instability, our national security professionals kept Americans safe and our country strong,” Granholm said. The former Michigan governor also said DOE under Biden cleaned up legacy pollution, strengthened the electric grid and supported rural and tribal communities near DOE facilities.
In a separate letter to leaders of federally recognized Indian tribes, Granholm said DOE and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, Nez Perce Tribe, Yakama Nation and the Wanapum Band completed a memorandum of understanding that allows “co-stewardship” of Rattlesnake Mountain. The mountain is located within DOE’s Hanford Site in Benton County, Wash.
Granholm, who served basically the entire Biden term, was confirmed by the Senate on Feb. 25, 2021.
The Trump nominee to be her successor, energy company CEO Chris Wright, had a confirmation hearing before the Energy and Natural Resources Committee Wednesday.
“As I prepare to pass the baton, I want you all to know how much your work has meant to me personally, and of course to the nation,” Granholm said. Granholm called being energy secretary, “the best job I have ever known” and again dubbed DOE “the Solutions Department.”
According to her bio, Kolb, a longtime fed, became director of DOE’s Office of Management in December 2005. Prior to that, Kolb held management jobs with other federal agencies including Homeland Security and the Department of Education.
Robbins is currently assistant principal deputy administrator for operations, acting as liaison between NNSA field offices and the headquarters.
