"The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee today confirmed the nomination of Ernest Moniz to become the next secretary of Energy on a 21-1 vote."
"The vote sends the nuclear physicist's nomination to the full floor and bodes well for his chances of being confirmed to lead the Department of Energy, where he would take over for outgoing Secretary Steven Chu. Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) has said he hopes to have Moniz confirmed by the full Senate before the end of next week (E&ENews PM, April 16).
Before the vote, Wyden praised Moniz's previous work at DOE during the Clinton administration and his tenure at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he leads the MIT Energy Initiative. Wyden said Moniz would be well-positioned to continue DOE's efforts to ensure that hydraulic fracturing is done safely to exploit massive new natural gas reserves and to usher in an era of domestic resource abundance and reduced reliance on imported oil."
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