WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today expressed support for nominee Arunava Majumdar to be the Under Secretary of Energy during a Senate Energy and Natural Resources nomination hearing.

“Dr. Majumdar’s background as a scientist and an engineer makes him a good candidate and a good fit for DOE,” Murkowski said. “And while it’s not always easy – or fun – to be responsible for a big piece of a federal department, I think his experience at ARPA-E will give him the necessary insight to implement our nation’s energy policy.”

For the past two years, Dr. Majumdar has been the head of the Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E), which was first funded in 2009 to develop game-changing energy technologies. Since February, Dr. Majumdar has also taken on the roll of DOE’s acting under secretary.

“If Dr. Majumdar is confirmed as the Under Secretary of Energy he will be facing a variety of tough challenges related to program direction, budgeting priorities and funding decisions,” Murkowski said. “It’s difficult to advance energy innovation and new technologies under the best of circumstances, but it’s particularly challenging while federal dollars are in very short supply.”

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For further information, please contact Robert Dillon at 202.224.6977 or Robert_dillon@energy.senate.gov or Megan Hermann at 202.224.7875 or Megan_Hermann@energy.senate.gov.

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