The Department of Energy Strategic Plan
The Department of Energy (DOE) has a rich and diverse history with its lineage tracing back to
the Manhattan Project and the race to develop an atomic bomb during World War II. Following that
war, Congress created the Atomic Energy Commission (1946) to take control over the scientific and
industrial complex supporting the Manhattan Project and to maintain civilian government control over
atomic research and development.
The Department of Energy Organization Act, which created DOE, was enacted in 1977 and DOE
officially came into existence in October of that year. That law brought together for the first
time, not only most of the government’s energy programs, but also science and technology programs
and defense responsibilities that included the design, construction, and testing of nuclear weapons.
Over its history, DOE has shifted its emphasis and focus as the energy and security needs of the
Nation have changed.
Today, DOE stands at the forefront of helping the Nation meet our energy, scientific, environmental, and national
security goals. These include developing and deploying new energy technologies, reducing our
dependence on foreign energy sources, protecting our nuclear weapons stockpile, and ensuring that
America remains competitive in the global marketplace. To help achieve these goals, President Bush
has launched two key initiatives: the American Competitiveness Initiative (ACI) and the Advanced
Energy Initiative (AEI). The President launched these initiatives recognizing that science,
technology, and engineering hold the answers to many of the critical challenges our world faces.
These new initiatives to spur scientific innovation and technology development expand DOE’s
continuing support for the competitive energy markets, both
domestically and internationally, and of policies that facilitate continued private investment
in the energy sector. In addition, DOE supports the demonstration and deployment of energy
technologies through collaborative efforts with the private sector and public sector entities.
To help ensure that today's brightest students become tomorrow's scientific leaders, President Bush
launched the ACI. This initiative increases investment in research and development, strengthens science and math
education for America’s youth, and encourages entrepreneurship and technology discovery. The
goal of this initiative is to invest in our next generation of scientists, engineers, and
educators so America can remain at the forefront of innovation and successfully compete in the
21st Century global marketplace.
AEI seeks to improve our energy security and reduce our dependence on foreign oil by
changing the ways we power our cars, homes, and businesses. This goal can be achieved by
accelerating the research, development, and deployment of clean energy technologies to diversify
our Nation’s energy mix. AEI directs funds for the advancement of renewable energy
technologies such as biomass, wind, and solar energy and continuing investment in hydrogen research and development.
Additionally, to tap the Nation’s abundant coal reserves, AEI accelerates the development of clean
coal technology including building a near-zero atmospheric emissions coal plant. Another component
of AEI is the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership,
a comprehensive nuclear energy strategy that will enable the expansion of nuclear
energy (free of air emissions) worldwide in a clean, safe, and affordable manner.
As the steward of the Nation’s nuclear weapons stockpile, DOE is responsible for maintaining
nuclear deterrents and leading the international nuclear nonproliferation efforts in a world where
terrorism is a real threat to national security and world stability. DOE is also responsible for
the safe cleanup of the environmental legacy of the Nation's nuclear weapons program and
government-sponsored nuclear energy research. This includes mitigating the risks and hazards
associated with disposing of nuclear materials and deactivating and decommissioning facilities no
longer needed to support the Department's mission. DOE strives to protect its workers and the public
through promulgation and enforcement of nuclear safety and worker health and safety rules.
By implementing DOE’s Strategic Plan, we are enhancing America’s energy security and sustaining
our economic vitality.
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