The under secretary oversees the department's energy and environment programs, including environmental cleanup of the nuclear weapons complex, nuclear waste management efforts, and applied energy research and developmental activities.

Furthermore, the under secretary plays a plays an instrumental role in the development and deployment of infrastructure to meet the United States' carbon-free electricity (by 2035) and net-zero economy pledges (by 2050)[2] as part of the department's response to climate change in the United States.

The Under Secretary of Energy for Infrastructure is appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate.

The Under Secretary is paid at level III of the Executive Schedule,[3] meaning they receives a basic annual salary of $152,000 as of 2006.

[4] The current under secretary is David W. Crane, who was sworn in on June 14, 2023, after Senate confirmation.