Samuel Bodman, who was confirmed by unanimous consent as energy secretary earlier this week, officially took over the reins at the Department of Energy (DOE) on Tuesday.

Bodman most recently was deputy secretary of the Department of Treasury. Prior to that, he held a senior position at the Department of Commerce. In the private sector, he was a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, president and CEO of Fidelity Investments, and chairman and CEO of Boston-based Cabot Corp.

Bodman, 66, succeeds departing Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham, a former attorney and senator from Michigan who oversaw the Bush administration’s energy policy for the past four years. This task now falls to Bodman.

At his confirmation hearing last month, Bodman declared his support for comprehensive energy legislation, saying it will be “among the most important matters to come before this Congress” in the upcoming months. He said he also would be an “energetic advocate” for opening the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to oil and natural gas drilling.

“I look forward to working with him to deliver an energy bill to the president in the 109th Congress,” said Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM), chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, which forwarded Bodman’s nomination to the full Senate last week. Both the House and the Senate are expected to get an early start on the energy bill to increase the chance for passage during this session.

The American Gas Association (AGA), which represents gas distributors, also expects to work with Bodman on a wide range of natural gas issues. “We are confident that, due to Secretary Bodman’s years of service in the Treasury and Commerce Departments, he will have a unique ability to lead DOE’s efforts to pass a comprehensive energy bill. His three decades of experience in the private sector will also help DOE to promote increased imports of liquefied natural gas and promote the efficient use of natural gas,” said AGA President David Parker.

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