What is it?

Nuclear watchdog. Inventor. Protector of the electrical grid. The Department of Energy does a lot. Kind of like how Amazon can ship you a basketball or dishwasher detergent in 24 hours, while also running a bunch of data centers. Or how Serena Williams won 23 Grand Slam titles but also heads a make-up line and a venture capital firm.

The Department of Energy is an umbrella for a bunch of energy and national defense programs that used to be scattered across the federal government. One reason for creating the agency was the energy crisis of the 1970s, which happened in part because some countries  protested American foreign policy in the Middle East by pulling back on their oil supplies to the U.S. Enough lawmakers thought we needed a clearer set of energy policies that in 1977, Congress created the Department of Energy to bring all those programs under one roof. 

As with anything, not everyone was on board, and some people still aren’t. Some people have advocated that we get rid of the Department of Energy, arguing that global politics are different now or that the government shouldn’t be paying private companies to do research and development they would do anyway.

Anyhow, we’re just here to report the facts, so here are some of the agency’s main responsibilities:

Energy Security

This means two things: 1) Making sure people in the U.S. have enough electricity, gas, and other kinds of power, and 2) Protecting our power infrastructure from terrorism, natural disasters, cyberattacks and more. That includes managing the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, a massive stockpile of oil the U.S. can use in case of major disruptions to the oil supply. 

Research & Innovation

The Department of Energy is an innovation machine. It funds private companies to do research and development and runs its own labs, 17 of them, across the country. You’ll see the agency working to make solar power cheaper, make wind turbines more efficient, find new ways to capture and store carbon, expand use of hydrogen power, reduce methane emissions and much more. 

Nuclear Security

Whoa, this just got heavy. The Department of Energy manages our nuclear weapons stockpile and works to reduce danger around the world from weapons of mass destruction. How did nuclear weapons end up in the Department of Energy’s job description? You might know about the Manhattan Project, a super secret military effort to create an atomic bomb in the 1940s. After World War II ended, Congress had a very long, very heated debate about who should take over America’s nuclear program: the military or a civilian agency. After a few decades of twists and turns, this responsibility ultimately landed with the Department of Energy

Why It Matters to You

Affordable & Reliable Energy

The Department of Energy helps make sure you have reliable access to energy, whether it’s powering your home, fueling your car, or keeping American factories running. That means keeping our infrastructure in working order, promoting a mix of different kinds of energy, and finding ways to keep energy prices low. (Hey, why not check out tax incentives for making your home more energy efficient right now?)

The Environment

Solar, wind, water, geothermal, bioenergy, nuclear, hydrogen – all of these can be alternatives to fossil fuels and can help meet demand for energy in the U.S. The Department of Energy is part of the effort to develop clean energy technologies that combat climate change and reduce pollution. 

National Security

What happens around the world affects the U.S. and since we import fuel and important materials from other countries…well, you get it. Politics can affect our energy supply. That includes not just oil but minerals like cobalt and lithium that make our cell phones, cars, and computers run. Ensuring that the U.S. has a stable energy supply is key to our national security. Also key? Keeping an eye on nuclear threats from abroad and making sure that nuclear technology is used responsibly.

How to Make an Impact

I’d Like to Speak to Your Manager

The Department of Energy is a federal agency which means it takes its marching orders from the President and Congress. Two billion dollars to speed up American-built hybrid, electric, and hydrogen fuel cell cars? It was part of a giant bill that President Joe Biden proposed and Congress passed. If you want the Department of Energy to do something differently, take it up with your representative in Congress (it’s easy – here’s how!).

Vote All the Way Down

The people who control the Department of Energy? They’re all elected. Voting for president and Congress are no-brainers. But power flows upward, too. When you vote for your governor, state legislators, school board, you name it, you’re voting for people who can use their power to influence officials at the federal level. So when you go to vote, vote for every office on the ballot!

Rules Rule!

Like most federal agencies, the Department of Energy is required to follow a “notice and comment” period when it’s trying to make a new rule or regulation. Before the new rule goes into effect, companies, advocacy groups, lobbyists, and ordinary Americans can write in to share how the new regulation would affect them. You can search all for rules that federal agencies are considering or ones they’ve issued, open for comment, and check out our guide for help submitting your own comment!

Confirmation, Please

The president appoints the head of the Department of Energy, but that’s not the whole story. The Senate still has to confirm that person, known as the Secretary of Energy. Did the president nominate someone who embodies your values? Ask your senator to confirm them! Did the president nominate someone you think is terrible? Ask your senator to vote against confirmation! You can call, write, or ask for a meeting. And keep the pressure up by writing an op-ed for your local newspaper!

On the Ground

As of February 2024, bitcoin mining in the U.S. used as much energy as the entire state of Utah. That same month, the Department of Energy said it would start collecting data from cryptocurrency miners about how much energy they were using and where they were operating. Bitcoin miner Riot Inc. and the Texas Blockchain Council were not wild about this plan, and sued the federal government to stop. They won, at least temporarily.

In early 2024, the Department of Energy granted the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation $32 million for a new solar energy project in Washington state. But a complex maze of bureaucracy might mean that the grant will expire before Yakama Nation can even access the money. 

Amazon, Google, and Microsoft are all looking to nuclear in order to fuel their enormous power needs (think giant data centers). When Amazon publicly launched plans for three new nuclear projects in October 2024, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm was on hand to announce $900 million dollars in grants for small modular reactors, the technology Amazon is using.

The Department of Energy approved a $670 million loan in October 2024 so a company called Aspen Aerogels could construct a new factory in the town of Register, GA. Boosters hope this investment will create 550 construction jobs and 255 permanent jobs – eye-popping numbers for a town of 157 people.