Dive Brief:

• The U.S. Department of Energy has announced a reorganization plan it says will "modernize" the agency's organizational structure in order to reach policy goals that include energy dominance and improved environmental outcomes.
• Under the reorganization, the current office of Under Secretary for Science and Energy will be separated into two under-secretary positions. After the change, there will be three under secretary positions: the Under Secretary of Energy; the Under Secretary for Science; and the Under Secretary for Nuclear Security and NNSA Administrator.
• The White House last week also celebrated its efforts to cut regulations, perhaps the area where President Donald Trump has been most successful in implementing his agenda.

Dive Insight:

The White House either delayed or withdrew almost 1,600 planned regulatory actions, according to The Hill's coverage of President Trump's ribbon-cutting promise to cut even more rules. It is one area where the energy industry has seen significant impact: from an Environmental Protection Agency with enforcement oversight to pulling back the Clean Power Plan.

According to the White House, his administration eliminated 22 regulations for every new one put in place.

The White House last week also rolled out changes at DOE, including changes to the under secretary structure and replacing the Office of Energy Policy and Systems Analysis with an Office of Policy.

In a statement, Secretary of Energy Rick Perry said the changes will allow DOE "to build upon the success of the last 40 years and meet tomorrow’s challenges. ... This new structure will support American energy dominance, enhance our energy and national security, and improve outcomes in environmental management while ensuring DOE remains the leader in scientific innovation."

Under the new plan, the current office of Under Secretary for Science and Energy will be separated into two under secretary positions.

The Under Secretary of Energy will focus on energy policy, applied energy technologies, energy security and reliability, along with some agency-wide management functions. The Under Secretary for Science will focus on supporting innovation, basic scientific research, and environmental cleanup.

DOE's statement sys the changes will enhance the agency's focus on early-stage scientific research and development and energy technology innovation, while improving environmental and legacy management outcomes.