Washington, D.C. – Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore., issued the following statement after the Senate overwhelmingly confirmed Dr. Ernest Moniz to be the Secretary of Energy by a vote of 97 to 0:

“My Senate colleagues recognize that Dr. Moniz is smart, he is savvy about how the Department of Energy operates because he has been there before, and he has a proven track record of collaboration, which is just what you need when you’re leading the Department of Energy,” Wyden said. “I look forward to working with him to address the hugely important issues facing the department: how to manage newly accessible reserves of natural gas, how to combat climate change, how to make our economy more efficient and how to clean up Hanford and other nuclear waste sites.”

The committee favorably reported the nomination by a vote of 21 to 1 last month.