A number of high-level Energy Department officials announced their departures from the agency this week, casting doubt on the administrationâs renewable energy efforts.
Undersecretary of Energy Cathy Zoi, who oversaw energy efficiency and renewable energy efforts for the department, will head west after she leaves DOE in March for a private-sector position in California.
Meanwhile, Zoiâs chief-of-staff Rod OâConnor will also leave for a position with a London-based entertainment company.
Finally, general counsel Scott Harris announced he will also leave the department soon.
According to a Greenwire report in The New York Times, the departures, especially Zoiâs, could cast doubt on the administrationâs continuing efforts on renewable energy and innovation.
The Greenwire report notes the juxtaposition between President Barack Obamaâs State of the Union championing of energy innovation and the recent spate of departures.
For example, Zoi was in charge of the departmentâs applied science and research fields and oversaw the departmentâs $30 billion in funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
An environmental analyst told Greenwire that Zoiâs leavetaking means the department will lose âone of its most effective advocatesâ for green IT and clean-tech investments.
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