The Assistant Secretary of Energy for Fossil Energy is the head of the Office of Fossil Energy within the United States Department of Energy

United States Department of Energy

The United States Department of Energy is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government concerned with the United States' policies regarding energy and safety in handling nuclear material...

. The Office of Fossil Energy is responsible for several initiatives, including implementation of a $2 billion, 10-year initiative to develop a new generation of environmentally sound clean coal technologies

Clean coal technology

Clean coal technology is a collection of technologies being developed to reduce the environmental impact of coal energy generation. When coal is used as a fuel source, the gaseous emmissions generated by the thermal decomposition of the coal, include sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon...

, and the nation's Strategic Petroleum Reserve

Strategic Petroleum Reserve

The Strategic Petroleum Reserve is an emergency fuel storage of oil maintained by the United States Department of Energy.- United States :The US SPR is the largest emergency supply in the world with the current capacity to hold up to ....

 and Northeast Home Heating Oil Reserve. The Assistant Secretary manages about 1000 scientists, engineers, technicians and administrative staff.

The Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy is appointed by the President

President of the United States

The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....

 with the advice and consent of the Senate

United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...

. Former Assistant Secretaries by recency include Jeffrey D. Jarrett

Jeffrey D. Jarrett

Jeffrey D. Jarrett was the Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy within the United States Department of Energy, from his swearing in on January 3, 2006 until March 2007. Until his appointment to the position, he had served as director of the Department of the Interior's Office of Surface Mining. He...

, Acting Assistant Secretary Mark R. Maddox, and Carl Michael Smith

Carl Michael Smith

Carl Michael "Mike" Smith is an American businessman, energy expert, and politician from Oklahoma. Smith is currently serving as the Executive Director of the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission...

. There have been ten former Assistant Secretaries in total, excluding acting officers. The Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy is 15th in the order of succession for Secretary of Energy

United States Secretary of Energy

The United States Secretary of Energy is the head of the United States Department of Energy, a member of the President's Cabinet, and fifteenth in the presidential line of succession. The position was formed on October 1, 1977 with the creation of the Department of Energy when President Jimmy...

. The Assistant Secretary is paid at level IV of the Executive Schedule, meaning he or she receives a basic annual salary of $143,000.