Department of Energy chief of staff Tarak Shah announced Tuesday he is leaving the agency, a high-profile departure that comes as the agency faces pressure to deliver on some of its most ambitious energy and infrastructure goals yet.
Shah said he is stepping away “satisfied that DOE is the strongest it has ever been.”
“In 2020, as a new administration, we set out to build the most diverse and talented set of political appointees the Federal government has ever seen, and we have accomplished that,” Shah wrote in an internal email reported by Politico.
He also touted the agency’s work in securing $62 billion in spending for agency clean energy efforts through the passage of the bipartisan infrastructure bill in Congress last fall, which he said “fundamentally expanded” the department’s mission. He had previously said the agency would hire around 1,000 new workers to oversee the spending.
“With massive new investments, new organizational structures, and the right leadership team, I know DOE is primed to deliver on our goals,” Shah said. “It’s why I feel comfortable stepping away so that I can recharge my batteries and continue to be the best champion I can be for our country and planet.”
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Prior to his role as chief of staff, Shah served as the Department of Energy’s undersecretary for science and energy from 2014 to 2017 and the personnel lead for Climate and Science Agencies during the Biden-Harris transition.
