Bill Richardson was sworn in as the new energy secretary onTuesday, one day after Senate Energy Committee Chairman FrankMurkowski (R-AK) cleared him of allegations that he may have misledCongress when testifying during his confirmation hearing last monthabout a job offer he made to former White House intern Monica S.Lewinsky.

Richardson will take over at the Department of Energy (DOE) onMonday, but also will continueas U.S. ambassador to the UnitedNations for a short period due to urgent international matters,according to a department spokeswoman.

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