The Assistant Secretary for Policy and International Affairs (PI) is the primary policy advisor to the Secretary, Deputy Secretary, and Under Secretary on domestic and international policy analysis, development, evaluation, and implementation. PI provides Departmental leadership strategies to implement the National Energy Policy. PI represents the Department and the United States Government in interagency processes, intergovernmental forums, and bilateral and multilateral proceedings that address matters relating to the development and implementation of national and international energy policies, strategies and objectives.
PI has primary responsibility for coordinating the efforts of diverse elements in the Department to ensure a unified voice in our policy and international affairs. PI works closely with organizational elements within the Department, other Federal agencies, national and international organizations and institutions and the private sector to coordinate and align national energy policy, and international energy agreements. PI coordinates DOE initiatives on climate change technology, greenhouse gas reduction reporting, and clean energy technology exports.
PI works closely with DOE program Assistant Secretaries and other DOE Secretarial officers to maintain a knowledge of the activities, issues, and policies of the Department, other Federal departments and agencies (including the National Security Council, Office of Management and Budget, and other White House offices), members of Congress and Congressional Committees, and energy producers and consumers.
Additionally, PI is responsible for managing the Department’s obligations as a statutory member of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), an inter-agency committee authorized by the President to identify and investigate the national security implications of certain foreign investments. As part of this responsibility, PI analysts conduct national security reviews of mergers, acquisitions, and takeovers of U.S. companies by foreign entities in order to assess their impact on the Nation’s energy assets and its critical technologies.
The Assistant Secretary coordinates DOE's energy relations with other Federal, state and local departments and agencies. The Assistant Secretary coordinates and manages DOE cooperation with the governments of other nations, directly and through international organizations. The Assistant Secretary also negotiates and manages a variety of bilateral and multilateral agreements with other countries and international agencies for cooperation in research and development and for energy, environmental, and technology cooperation.