On May 16, 2013, the Senate voted 97 to zero to approve the nomination of Ernest Moniz as the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy. Dr. Moniz, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology physicist, supports an “all-of-the-above” strategy for energy. NASEO worked closely with Dr. Moniz when he was Under Secretary of Energy during the Clinton Administration and endorsed his nomination in March 2013 through a letter to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. From a state perspective, Dr. Moniz has shown a willingness to connect and understand the important role of states in advancing energy policy and in opening energy-related economic development opportunities with the private sector.