Weapons Complex Vol. 25 No. 28
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Weapons Complex Monitor
Article 5 of 15
July 11, 2014

White House to Nominate Nonproliferation Aide to Serve as New Deputy Energy Secretary

By Mike Nartker

Administration Pulls Nominee for New DOE Under Secretary for Management Post

Mike Nartker
WC Monitor
7/11/2014

The White House announced this week plans to nominate Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall from the National Security Council to serve as the next Deputy Secretary of Energy. At the same time, though, the Obama Administration announced with no explanation the withdrawal of Elizabeth Robinson’s nomination to fill the new Under Secretary of Energy for Management and Performance position.

Randall currently serves as Special Assistant to the President and White House Coordinator for Defense Policy, Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction, and Arms Control. If confirmed by the Senate, she would replace Dan Poneman, who has announced plans to leave DOE this fall after serving for five years as Deputy Energy Secretary. Among Randall’s previous positions, she served as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for European Affairs at the National Security Council from 2009 to 2013; and as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia from 1994 to 1996, according to a White House release.

DOE Nominees Stalled in the Senate

It remains to be seen if Sherwood-Randall’s nomination, once submitted to the Senate, would face the same difficult road a number of other DOE nominees have experienced. Before her nomination was withdrawn this week, Robinson was one of nine pending DOE nominees whose confirmation path through the Senate appeared to have stalled. Robinson, who currently serves as NASA’s chief financial officer, was nominated to the new position at DOE last July. She was twice approved by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee—once last fall and again early this year, but her nomination was not taken up by the full Senate for consideration. The new Under Secretary for Management and Performance position was created as part of a Department reorganization conducted by Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz last summer and would oversee DOE’s offices of Environmental Management and Legacy Management, as well as several support offices.

Other DOE nominees still waiting for confirmation include National Nuclear Security Administration Principal Deputy Administrator Madelyn Creedon, Under Secretary for Science Franklin Orr, Chief Financial Officer Joseph Hezir, Director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy Ellen Williams, Assistant Secretary of Energy for Fossil Energy Chris Smith and Director of the Office of Science Marc Kastner. Also making her way through the confirmation process is Monica Regalbuto, the White House’s choice to serve as the Assistant Secretary of Energy for Environmental Management. Regalbuto, who now currently serves as Associate Principal Deputy Assistant EM Secretary, was nominated to lead DOE’s cleanup efforts in March. She has been approved by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, but her nomination is still pending before the Senate Armed Services Committee.

DOE Cleanup Chief Huizenga Now Back at NNSA

Meanwhile, David Huizenga returned to the NNSA this week after having headed up EM for approximately three years. Huizenga was tapped to lead DOE’s cleanup program after the last Senate-confirmed Assistant Energy Secretary for Environmental Management, Ines Triay, stepped down in early July 2011. Huizenga came to EM from NNSA where he had held the position of Principal Assistant Deputy Administrator for Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation—a position to which he returned July 10. “As head of EM, Dave successfully led the program through complex technical, regulatory, and fiscal challenges. From day one, Dave made working with stakeholders a priority, which was a key to EM’s continued success over the past three years,” Moniz and Poneman said in a message to employees this week.

Huizenga served as acting Assistant EM Secretary until February 2012, at which point his title was changed to “Senior Advisor for Environmental Management.” This spring, Huizenga went back to serving as acting Assistant EM Secretary after the White House nominated Regalbuto for the position. Huizenga had initially been seen as a key contender to be nominated for the assistant secretary position. But even though he is back at NNSA, Huizenga will continue to remain involved with DOE’s cleanup efforts. “To provide continuity, I have asked that Dave, in his new role, lead discussions with the State of Washington on the path forward for the tank waste mission at Hanford and serve on the Secretary’s Working Group with the State of Nevada,” the message from Moniz and Poneman says.

 As previously announced, Mark Whitney will now serve as acting Assistant EM Secretary while Regalbuto goes through the Senate confirmation process. Whitney was named as EM’s number two official, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, in mid-May. “He is a proven leader with an exceptional ability to develop high-performing organizations and teams.  Mark has experience leading field operations and a deep understanding of headquarters operations, and we look forward to working closely with him in this capacity,” Moniz and Poneman said.

Huizenga ‘Definitely Made a Positive Mark’ on EM

This week, Seth Kirshenberg, executive director of the Energy Communities Alliance, which represents local communities near DOE sites, offered praise for Huizenga’s tenure leading EM. “I think that the EM program is in a better position since Dave took over management,” Kirshenberg said in a written response to WC Monitor. “The EM managers and the staff worked hard for him and he pointed the program in the right direction. He always worked with the community and always told the truth—even when it was difficult for the community or contractor to accept what they were being told. Dave is one of the longest standing leaders of EM and he definitely made a positive mark on the program.”

Kirshenberg went on to say, “The next manager has a lot of challenges such as re-opening WIPP,  hiring new managers at key sites, addressing cost overruns of large projects, addressing budget problems, negotiating new regulatory agreements, etc.  We will be working with the Department closely to ensure it stays on the path of working through the issues in a manner that accomplishes the mission and facilitates community involvement in decision-making.  We think that local communities can save the Department a lot of money by EM shrinking its footprint and following through with some of Dave’s initiatives.”

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NEW: Via public records request, I’ve been able to confirm reporting today that a warrant has been issued for DOE deputy asst. secretary of spent fuel and waste disposition Sam Brinton for another luggage theft, this time at Las Vegas’s Harry Reid airport. (cc: @EMPublications)

DOE spent fuel lead Brinton accused of second luggage theft.



by @BenjaminSWeiss, confirming today's reports with warrant from Las Vegas Metro PD.

Waste has been Emplaced! 🚮

We have finally begun emplacing defense-related transuranic (TRU) waste in Panel 8 of #WIPP.

Read more about the waste emplacement here: https://wipp.energy.gov/wipp_news_20221123-2.asp

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Nuclear Security & Deterrence Vol. 18 No. 28
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Nuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor
Article 2 of 12
July 11, 2014

White House to Nominate Nonproliferation Aide to Serve as New Deputy Energy Secretary

By Kenny Fletcher

Mike Nartker
NS&D Monitor
7/11/2014

The White House announced this week plans to nominate Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall from the National Security Council to serve as the next Deputy Secretary of Energy. Randall currently serves as Special Assistant to the President and White House Coordinator for Defense Policy, Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction, and Arms Control. If confirmed by the Senate, she would replace Dan Poneman, who has announced plans to leave DOE this fall after serving for five years as Deputy Energy Secretary. Among Randall’s previous positions, she served as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for European Affairs at the National Security Council from 2009 to 2013; and as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia from 1994 to 1996, according to a White House release.

DOE Nominees Stalled in the Senate

It remains to be seen if Sherwood-Randall’s nomination, once submitted to the Senate, would face the same difficult road a number of other DOE nominees have experienced. Also this week, the White House announced with no explanation the withdrawal of Elizabeth Robinson’s nomination to fill the new Under Secretary of Energy for Management and Performance position. Before her nomination was withdrawn, Robinson was one of nine pending DOE nominees whose confirmation path through the Senate appeared to have stalled. Robinson, who currently serves as NASA’s chief financial officer, was nominated to the new position at DOE last July. She was twice approved by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee—once last fall and again early this year, but her nomination was not taken up by the full Senate for consideration.

Other DOE nominees still waiting for confirmation include National Nuclear Security Administration Principal Deputy Administrator Madelyn Creedon, Under Secretary for Science Franklin Orr, Chief Financial Officer Joseph Hezir, Director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy Ellen Williams, Assistant Secretary of Energy for Fossil Energy Chris Smith and Director of the Office of Science Marc Kastner. Also making her way through the confirmation process is Monica Regalbuto, the White House’s choice to serve as the Assistant Secretary of Energy for Environmental Management. Regalbuto, who now currently serves as Associate Principal Deputy Assistant EM Secretary, was nominated to lead DOE’s cleanup efforts in March. She has been approved by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, but her nomination is still pending before the Senate Armed Services Committee.

DOE Cleanup Chief Huizenga Now Back at NNSA

Meanwhile, David Huizenga returned to the NNSA this week after having headed up EM for approximately three years. Huizenga was tapped to lead DOE’s cleanup program after the last Senate-confirmed Assistant Energy Secretary for Environmental Management, Ines Triay, stepped down in early July 2011. Huizenga came to EM from NNSA where he had held the position of Principal Assistant Deputy Administrator for Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation—a position to which he returned July 10. “As head of EM, Dave successfully led the program through complex technical, regulatory, and fiscal challenges. From day one, Dave made working with stakeholders a priority, which was a key to EM’s continued success over the past three years,” Moniz and Poneman said in a message to employees this week.

Huizenga served as acting Assistant EM Secretary until February 2012, at which point his title was changed to “Senior Advisor for Environmental Management.” This spring, Huizenga went back to serving as acting Assistant EM Secretary after the White House nominated Regalbuto for the position. Huizenga had initially been seen as a key contender to be nominated for the assistant secretary position. But even though he is back at NNSA, Huizenga will continue to remain involved with DOE’s cleanup efforts. “To provide continuity, I have asked that Dave, in his new role, lead discussions with the State of Washington on the path forward for the tank waste mission at Hanford and serve on the Secretary’s Working Group with the State of Nevada,” the message from Moniz and Poneman says.

Comments are closed.

Partner Content
Social Feed

NEW: Via public records request, I’ve been able to confirm reporting today that a warrant has been issued for DOE deputy asst. secretary of spent fuel and waste disposition Sam Brinton for another luggage theft, this time at Las Vegas’s Harry Reid airport. (cc: @EMPublications)

DOE spent fuel lead Brinton accused of second luggage theft.



by @BenjaminSWeiss, confirming today's reports with warrant from Las Vegas Metro PD.

Waste has been Emplaced! 🚮

We have finally begun emplacing defense-related transuranic (TRU) waste in Panel 8 of #WIPP.

Read more about the waste emplacement here: https://wipp.energy.gov/wipp_news_20221123-2.asp

Load More