[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 40, Number 50 (Monday, December 13, 2004)]
[Pages 2932-2933]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks on the Nomination of Samuel W. Bodman To Be Secretary of Energy

December 10, 2004

    The President. Thank you. Good morning. Today I am announcing my 
nomination of Sam Bodman as Secretary of Energy. I am pleased to welcome 
Sam's wife, Diane, and all his family members--I emphasize ``all''--for 
coming today. Welcome to the White House.
    Sam Bodman is an experienced executive who has served in my 
administration as Deputy Secretary of Commerce and Deputy Secretary of 
the Treasury. During his varied and distinguished career in the private 
sector, Sam has been a professor at MIT, president of an investment 
firm, the chairman and CEO of an industrial company with operations 
worldwide. In academics, in business, and in Government, Sam Bodman has 
shown himself to be a problem-solver who knows how to set goals, and he 
knows how to reach them. He will bring to the Department of Energy a 
great talent for management and the precise thinking of an engineer. I 
thank him for agreeing to serve once again.
    The Department of Energy has responsibilities that directly affect 
all Americans, from the security of nuclear facilities to reducing the 
risk of nuclear proliferation around the world to environmental cleanup 
to enhancing conservation and developing new sources of energy for the 
future. Every day, employees at the Department of Energy are working to 
protect the American people and to ensure that our country's homes and 
businesses have reliable, safe, and affordable supplies of energy.
    During the last 4 years, the Department of Energy has been active 
and effective and has delivered important results for the American 
people. We've taken vital steps to upgrade the Nation's energy 
infrastructure. We have begun an ambitious research program to develop a 
viable hydrogen-powered automobile. We have strengthened cooperation 
between the United States and foreign governments to safeguard nuclear 
materials and to fight proliferation.
    For these achievements and more, the Nation is grateful to Secretary 
Spencer Abraham. As a United States Senator and a Cabinet Secretary, 
Spence has shown himself to be a man of integrity and wisdom. He's a 
good man, a superior public servant, and a friend, and I thank Spence 
for leading his Department so ably. And I wish him and Jane all the 
best.
    During the next 4 years, we will continue to enhance our economic 
security and our national security through sound energy policy. We will 
pursue more energy close to home, in our own country and in our own 
hemisphere, so that we're less dependent on energy from unstable parts 
of the world. We will continue improving pipelines and gas terminals and 
powerlines, so that energy flow is reliable. We will develop and deploy 
the latest technology to provide a new generation of cleaner and more 
efficient energy sources. We will promote strong conservation measures.
    In all these steps, we will bring greater certainty of costs and 
supply, and that certainty is essential to economic growth and job 
creation. And we will continue to work closely with Congress to produce 
comprehensive legislation that moves America toward greater energy 
independence. I'm optimistic about the task ahead, and I know Sam Bodman 
is the right man to lead this important and vital agency. So I urge the 
Senate to confirm his nomination without delay.
    Congratulations, Sam.

[At this point, Secretary-Designate Bodman made brief remarks.]

Note: The President spoke at 9:44 a.m. in the Roosevelt Room at the 
White House. The transcript released by the Office of the Press 
Secretary also included the remarks of Secretary-Designate Bodman.

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