The Secretary of Energy Advisory Board (SEAB) was chartered in January 1990, to provide the Secretary with timely, balanced, external advice on issues of importance to the Secretary. SEAB replaced the Energy Research Advisory Board (ERAB) which had been in operation since 1978 as the principal scientific advisory committee to the Department of Energy.

The mission of the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board is to provide advice, information, and recommendations to the Secretary of Energy on the Department's basic and applied research activities, economic and national security policy, educational issues, laboratory management, and on any other activities and operations of the Department of Energy as the Secretary may direct. Much of its work is conducted through subcommittees.

The Secretary of Energy Advisory Board (SEAB) is the highest level external advisory board in the Department of Energy and reports directly to the Secretary of Energy. It was chartered in January 1990, to provide the Secretary with timely, balanced, external issues of importance to the Secretary.

The members of the Board offer a diverse and extensive reservoir of independent technical knowledge, policy understanding, and management expertise. Members include two Nobel Laureates, a Pulitzer Prize winner, and senior representatives from academia, business, public & environmental groups, labor, and Federal/State government. Members of the Board are called on by the Secretary for their individual advice and on occasion have testified before Congress.

The Board is chartered and operates under the auspices of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) of 1972. Its members serve on a pro bono basis and are selected based on their professional experience and expertise in areas related to the research, development, energy, and national defense responsibilities of the Department. They are appointed by the Secretary of Energy to two-year terms with the possibility of reappointment.

The Board's charter also permits the Secretary to form subcommittees to undertake specific studies and to provide information and recommendations to the Board for its consideration. Members of the Board also may serve as members of the subcommittees, augmented by outside members whose expertise or background are determined to be relevant to the specific issues under consideration.