Carter Creates Energy Dept: Responding to Oil Crisis
President Jimmy Carter signed the Department of Energy Organization Act on August 4, 1977, consolidating the Federal Energy Administration, the Energy Research and Development Administration, the Federal Power Commission, and parts of several other agencies into a single cabinet-level department. The consolidation was a direct response to the 1973 Arab oil embargo, which had exposed how fragmented and uncoordinated American energy policy was. James Schlesinger became the first Secretary of Energy. The new department inherited responsibility for the nation's nuclear weapons complex, oil reserves, hydroelectric dams, and renewable energy research, managing a portfolio that spans from nuclear warheads to solar panels.
August 4, 1977
49 years ago
Key Figures & Places
President of the United States
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Jimmy Carter
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United States Department of Energy
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President
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Jimmy Carter
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United States Department of Energy
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Barack Obama
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Nobel Peace Prize
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The Saturday Evening Post
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2009
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Yasser Arafat
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Palestine Liberation Organization
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