Energy Department reorganizes away from clean energy, toward Trump's 'energy dominance'

Energy Secretary Rick Perry announced a plan Friday to reorganize the agency toward President Trump's "energy dominance" agenda, undoing the changes made under the Obama administration to focus on clean energy.

“This new structure will support American energy dominance, enhance our energy and national security, and improve outcomes in environmental management while ensuring DOE remains the leader in scientific innovation,” Perry said.

Under the new plan, the current office of Undersecretary for Science and Energy, which was established in 2013 by former Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, will be split into two separate undersecretary positions, "so that there will once again be three under secretaries," the agency said.

Those three posts include: the under secretary of energy, the under secretary for science, and the under secretary for nuclear security and nuclear administration. The agency said restoring the posts "is consistent with DOE’s statutory mandate."

The Obama administration's consolidation of the posts was meant to end "siloing" and encourage more collaboration. The Office of the Undersecretary for Science and Energy was set up to advise the secretary on "clean energy technologies and science and energy research initiatives," according to the Energy Department website.

The newly established Office of the Undersecretary of Energy "will focus on energy policy, applied energy technologies, energy security and reliability, and certain DOE-wide management functions, while the Under Secretary for Science will focus on supporting innovation, basic scientific research, and environmental cleanup."

There is no mention of clean energy.

"In addition, elements of the current undersecretary for management and performance’s portfolio will fall under the responsibility of the deputy secretary of energy," according to the agency. "Another change to the agency’s organization will include replacing the Office of Energy Policy and Systems Analysis with an Office of Policy.

That office "will enhance DOE’s focus on early-stage scientific research and development and energy technology innovation," and improving its work to clean up nuclear weapons processing facilities and other areas contaminated by defense-related activities. One of the major roles of the Energy Department is overseeing the nation's nuclear weapons stockpile.