Energy, Department of

Energy, Department of an agency of the U.S. government created in October 1977 responsible for long-range, high-risk research and development of energy technology, power marketing at the federal level, the promotion of energy conservation, oversight of the nuclear weapons program, regulatory programs, and the collection and analysis of energy data. The need for energy research, development, and regulation began with the creation of the Manhattan Project in 1942. At the end of World War II, after vigorously debating whether control of the atom should lie with a civilian or military organization, Congress passed the Atomic Energy Act of 1946 and created the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), a civilian agency. In 1974, Congress decided to split the AEC's oversight responsibilities, and created the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, responsible for regulating the private nuclear power industry, and the Energy Research and Development Administration, responsible for managing nuclear weapons, naval reactors, and related energy programs. During the 1970s' energy crisis, the need for centralization and planning resulted in the creation of the Department of Energy in 1977, and it took over the responsibilities of the Federal Energy Administration, the Energy Research and Development Administration, the Federal Power Commission, and related concerns from other agencies.