SEN-10G-92, Authorities and Responsibilities of the Deputy Secretary and Under Secretary

U.S. Department of Energy Secretary of Energy Washington, D.C. NOTICE SEN-10G-92 DATE: 4-10-92 SUBJECT: AUTHORITIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE DEPUTY SECRETARY AND UNDER SECRETARY The purpose of this Notice is to revise the authorities and responsibilities of the Deputy Secretary and the Under Secretary. It supersedes SEN-10F-92 of 2-21-92. The authorities and responsibilities of the Deputy Secretary and the Under Secretary are divided organizationally and are as follows: DEPUTY SECRETARY Assistant Secretary, Conservation and Renewable Energy Assistant Secretary, Domestic and International Energy Policy Assistant Secretary, Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs Assistant Secretary, Fossil Energy Office of General Counsel Office of Energy Research Energy Information Administration Office of Minority Economic Impact Office of Procurement, Assistance, and Program Management Office of Public Affairs Economic Regulatory Administration Office of Hearings and Appeals Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization Board of Contract Appeals Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (liaison only) UNDER SECRETARY Assistant Secretary, Defense Programs Assistant Secretary, Nuclear Energy Assistant Secretary, Environment, Safety, a.a Health Assistant Secretary, Environmental Restoration and Waste Management Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management Office of New Production Reactors Office of Intelligence Office of Arms Control and Nonproliferation Office of Security Affairs Office of the Departmental Representative to the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board Office of Chief Financial Officer Office of Administration and Human Resource Management Office of Emergency Planning and Operations Office of Contractor Employee Protection Consistent with the Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended, the Inspector General reports directly to the Secretary of Energy. Following are additional offices that report directly to the Secretary: Office of Nuclear Safety due to the nature of the independent oversight functions; Office of the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board as provided in the Board's approved Charter; and the Offices of Special Projects and Scheduling and Logistics, since they provide direct support to the Office of the Secretary. On matters involving the independent oversight role, the Assistant Secretary for Environment, Safety, and Health has direct access to the Secretary. The Deputy Secretary and Under Secretary have signoff authority under their own signatures for the day-to-day operations in their respective areas. Issues requiring my attention will continue to be forwarded to me, and I will still be the signatory of items to all congressional committee chairpersons, Governors, Members of the Cabinet, Heads of Federal Agencies, Heads of Corporations, and any other areas that I identify. The Deputy Secretary and Under Secretary meet with the Secretarial Officers in their jurisdictions to discuss what is expected of them in terms of effective management of their operations, appropriate notification of important events, timely response to the Congress, correspondence, and accountability. Special Assistant positions have been established in the Office of the Secretary. These Special Assistants staff the documents and issues that arise from the program offices for the Deputy Secretary and Under Secretary. They use their judgment on whether the document is complete for action or should be returned for revision. These Special Assistants function as liaisons to their assigned program offices. Each Special Assistant attends program office staff meetings and is up to date on the current operations of these offices. Appropriate revisions to Departmental directives will be made to reflect these assignments. JAMES D. WATKINS Admiral, U.S. Navy (Retired)