DOE Names New Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy

Washington, DC - U. S. Department of Energy Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy Jeffrey D. Jarrett today announced the selection of Thomas D. Shope as the new Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy.

"Tom is a stellar public servant who brings years of leadership experience and legal expertise to the position," Jarrett said.  "He will be a welcome addition to the Fossil Energy staff and will be a vital part of ensuring that our nation's coal, oil and natural gas resource meet the President's energy policy goals."

Before becoming FE's Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Mr. Shope served for nearly a year as FE Chief of Staff.  Previously, he served as Chief of Staff for the U.S. Department of the Interior, Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement.  He played a key role in the efforts to reauthorize the nation's Abandoned Mine Land Reclamation program and in OSM's significant enhancement of its technology transfer activities to state and tribal regulatory authorities.

Mr. Shope began his federal career in 1988 with the Department of Labor's Office of Administrative Law Judges.  In 1991, Shope joined with the Department of the Interior Solicitor's Office where he was extensively involved in the Department's Trusteeship in Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration Matters.  In that role, he served as the case attorney on various prominent projects including the nation's largest consolidated Superfund related project, the Tri-State Mining District of Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma.

Mr. Shope has also previously served with the Allegheny County Pennsylvania District Attorney's Office and the Pittsburgh law firm of Friedman & Friedman.

He holds a B.S. in Economics from West Virginia University and a J.D. from Duquesne University School of Law.

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For more information, contact: Mike Jacobs, FE Office of Communications, 202-586-0507