WASHINGTON (AP) – Physicist Ernest Moniz won unanimous Senate confirmation Thursday to be the nation's new energy secretary.

Moniz, 68, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, replaces Steven Chu, who served as Energy secretary in President Barack Obama's first term. Moniz served as an energy undersecretary in the Clinton administration.

2. Interior Chief Salazar Stepping Down in March - Thursday, January 17, 2013

WASHINGTON (AP) – Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, who oversaw a moratorium on offshore drilling after the BP oil spill and promoted alternative energy sources throughout the nation, will step down in March.

3. As Election Nears, New Rules are Facing Delays - Tuesday, July 31, 2012

WASHINGTON (AP) – When the Obama administration agreed to set the first-ever federal limits on runoff in Florida, environmental groups were pleased. They thought the state's waters would finally get a break from a nutrient overdose that spawns algae, suffocates rivers, lakes and streams and forms byproducts in drinking water that could make people sick.

4. APNewsBreak: Dems Hit Lax Fed Drilling Oversight - Thursday, February 09, 2012

WASHINGTON (AP) – Federal policing of oil and natural gas on public lands is lax and inconsistent, with only 6 percent of violations resulting in monetary fines over 13 years, House Democrats said in a report Wednesday.

5. Treasury Officials: Never Saw a Loan Like Solyndra - Monday, October 17, 2011

WASHINGTON (AP) – Two senior Treasury officials said Friday that they had never seen a loan restructuring similar to the Energy Department loan to a failed solar panel maker.

The half-billion dollar loan to Solyndra Inc. was restructured so that private investors moved ahead of taxpayers for repayment on part of the loan in case of a default.

6. Obama Defends Solyndra Loan, Says Solar Viable - Friday, October 07, 2011

WASHINGTON (AP) – President Barack Obama said Thursday the U.S. must not surrender development of clean energy to China and other countries, despite the spectacular failure of a solar-panel manufacturer that filed for bankruptcy after taking a half-billion dollar government loan.

7. Oil Industry: Boost in Energy Could Create 1M Jobs - Thursday, September 08, 2011

WASHINGTON (AP) – Government policies to increase domestic energy production could create up to a million jobs over the next seven years, the oil industry said in a report issued a day before President Barack Obama delivers a major speech on jobs.

8. Senators Willing to Scale Back Energy Bill - Wednesday, June 30, 2010

WASHINGTON (AP) – The authors of sweeping energy legislation stalled in the Senate said Tuesday they were prepared to scale back their bill to get Republican support.

Sens. John Kerry and Joe Lieberman made the comments after meeting at the White House with fellow senators and President Barack Obama, who is pushing for action in the wake of the Gulf oil spill.