On September 1, 2017, President Trump announced his intent to nominate two key U.S. Department of Energy Assistant Secrataries. The President named Bruce Walker of New York to lead the Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability, and Steven Winberg of Pennsylvania to serve as Assistant Secretary of Fossil Energy. A biographical summary for each can be found below.
Bruce J. Walker of New York to be an Assistant Secretary of Energy, Electricity, Delivery and Energy Reliability. Mr. Walker is the founder of Modern Energy Insights, Inc., which specializes in evaluating risk for utilities’ critical electric infrastructure. He has more than 25 years of electric utility experience, previously working at National Grid as the Vice President of Asset Strategy and Policy. Earlier, he worked for Consolidated Edison of New York, where he last held the position of Director of Corporate Emergency Management and served on the Biological Chemical Weapons Response Team. He has served as a member of DOE’s Electricity Advisory Committee, DOE’s Advisory Committee for the Mega-Watt scale integration lab, and was a member of GridWise Alliance, Inc. He is the co-founder of the Global Smart Grid Federation. Mr. Walker is the Deputy County Executive for the County of Putnam and is the Acting Energy Sector Chief for the Hudson Valley Infragard. He received his law degree from Pace University and holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Manhattan College.
Steven E. Winberg of Pennsylvania to be an Assistant Secretary of Energy, Fossil Energy. Mr. Winberg has extensive corporate management experience and strong leadership credentials in fossil energy. He is a recognized expert in fossil energy R&D, advanced clean coal technology, and natural gas production and use. As Vice President for R&D for CONSOL Energy, Inc., and more recently as a Senior Program Manager with the Battelle Memorial Institute, he has demonstrated leadership on energy policy issues including addressing emissions legislation/regulation and electricity/natural gas deregulation. Mr. Winberg was the board chair for the FutureGen Industrial Alliance, a coalition of power producers, coal producers and equipment manufacturers, established to pursue a public/private partnership to build the world’s first near-zero emissions coal-fueled power plant. Mr. Winberg holds two patents related to NOx emissions reduction using coal and natural gas. He has a bachelor’s degree in nuclear science from SUNY Maritime College and an M.B.A. from the University of Pittsburgh.
In addition, Sean B. Cunningham, formerly of Balch & Bingham LLP, has been announced as the new Director for the Office of Energy Policy and Systems Analysis. At Balch & Bingham LLP, Mr. Cunningham represented electric utilities on regulatory, legislative and appellate litigation matters pertaining to electric transmission and distribution, utility telecommunications, renewable energy, and energy efficiency.
Mr. Cunningham earned his Ph.D. in philosophy with distinction from The Catholic University of America in 2013, his J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law in 1997 and his undergraduate degree in history from the University of Virginia in 1989.
Mr. Cunningham is an active member of the District of Columbia Bar, an associate member of the Virginia Bar, a member of the Federalist Society and a lecturer for the Institute for U.S. Law.