Senate Committee to Vote on Rep. Robinson’s Nomination Tuesday

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WASHINGTON DC – The U.S. Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resources is expected to vote on the nomination of Framingham State Representative Maria Robinson to head the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Electricity on Tuesday, March 8 – one month after the Committee held its first hearing to consider her nomination by President Joseph Biden.

In September 2021, President Biden nominated Rep. Robinson to be the next Assistant Secretary of Energy for Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability.

Rep. Robinson, once confirmed by the full U.S. Senate, would head the Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability within the United States Department of Energy.

The Office leads efforts to modernize the electric grid. It does this through the development and implementation of national policy pertaining to electric grid reliability, and through the management of research, development, and demonstration activities for next generation electric grid infrastructure technologies.

Under the supervision of the Under Secretary of Energy for Energy and Environment, the Assistant Secretary is responsible of for the analysis of electricity congestion, the designation of draft National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors, the coordination of energy corridors across federal lands, and workforce issues related to the electricity utility industry.

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The Senate Committee meeting will be held on March 8 at 10 a.m. in room 366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, DC. 

The purpose of the business meeting is to consider the nominations of:

• Ms. Shalanda H. Baker to be Director of the Office of Minority Economic Impact, Department of Energy;
• Dr. Asmeret Asefaw Berhe to be Director of the Office of Science, Department of Energy;
• Ms. Sara C. Bronin, to be Chairman of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation;
• Dr. Joseph F. DeCarolis to be Administrator of the Energy Information Administration; and
• Ms. Maria Duaime Robinson to be an Assistant Secretary of Energy (Office of Electricity).

The business meeting will be webcast live on the Committee’s website, and an archived video will be available shortly after the business meeting concludes.

Rep. Robinson leads the Massachusetts House of Representatives Clean Energy Caucus, serves as the Massachusetts state lead to the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators where she is on the board, and is the only state legislator on the U.S. EPA Clean Air Act Advisory Committee.

She was elected to the 6th Middlesex District state House seat 2018, to replace the late Rep. Chris Walsh. She is the first Korean-American to serve in the Massachusetts legislature.

Under the state’s redistricting plan which begins in January 2023, Rep. Robinson would resides in the 7th Middlesex District house seat, along with district’s currently elected official Jack Patrick Lewis.

Rep. Robinson has said, if she is confirmed, she will resign from her 6th Middlesex District seat.

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