Energy Secretary Federico Pena, the highest-ranking Hispanic in the Clinton Administration, announced today he will resign effective June 30.
Pena said he is leaving to spend more time with his family.
"There is never a perfect time for a decision like this, but I believe that after five and a half years as a member of the Clinton Cabinet, that the time is now," Pena said at a press conference.
MSNBC reported that Clinton administration officials said that Pena, who was Secretary of Transportation during President Clinton's first term, had committed to stay in the Energy job for only a year when he accepted the post.
Pena was confirmed by the Senate 99-1 in March 1997, after overcoming congressional concerns about a proposed nuclear storage site in Nevada and mismanagement at DOE. He replaced Hazel O'Leary, who had been criticized for questionable travel expenses.
As Transportation Secretary, Pena received flak for his handling of the 1996 ValuJet crash in the Florida Everglades. He was Denver's mayor from 1983 to 1991.
The Associated Press quoted administration sources as saying that Elizabeth Moler, deputy Energy secretary and former chair of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, was a likely candidate to succeed Pena.
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