Washington, D.C. — Today as Secretary of Energy Steven Chu announced his resignation, the Center for American Progress released the following statement from CAP Distinguished Senior Fellow Carol M. Browner, former EPA Administrator and former director of the White House office of Energy and Climate Change Policy:
Steven Chu has demonstrated tremendous leadership in proving how clean energy can power the economy by overseeing an impressive doubling of electricity from wind and solar and successfully managing the investment of $32 billion from the recovery plan to put Americans back to work.
The programs that he supervised during his tenure, like the SunShot initiative, advanced energy research, and the Weatherization Assistance Program, have kept America on the map in the competitive global marketplace and protected middle-class families from rising energy costs.
The next secretary of energy must maintain Chu’s dogged focus on using all of the Energy Department’s tools in the fight against climate change—especially its financial resources and significant convening power.
Related resources:
To speak with CAP experts, please contact Christina DiPasquale at 202.481.8181 or [email protected].
###