Carl Michael "Mike" Smith (born 1944) is an American businessman, energy expert, and politician from

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

. Smith is currently serving as the Executive Director of the

Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission The Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission (IOGCC), formerly the Interstate Oil Compact Commission, is a United States organization, representing the governors of 31 member and seven associate states, that works to ensure the nation's oil and ...

. Smith has served in numerous

energy policy Energy policy is the manner in which a given entity (often governmental) has decided to address issues of energy development including energy conversion, distribution and use as well as reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in order to contri ...

positions for both the United States federal and Oklahoma state governments, including Assistant Secretary of Energy for Fossil Energy under President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

(2002–2004) and

Oklahoma Secretary of Energy The Oklahoma Secretary of Energy is a member of the Oklahoma Governor's Cabinet. The Secretary is appointed by the Governor, with the consent of the Oklahoma Senate, to serve at the pleasure of the Governor. The Secretary serves as the chief advi ...

under

Governor of Oklahoma The governor of Oklahoma is the head of government of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Under the Oklahoma Constitution, the governor serves as the head of the Oklahoma Executive (government), executive branch, of the government of Oklahoma. The gove ...

Frank Keating Francis Anthony Keating II (initially born as David Rowland Keating) (born February 10, 1944) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 25th governor of Oklahoma from 1995 to 2003. , Keating is one of only five governors in Okl ...

(1995–2002).

Education and early career

Smith earned his bachelor's degree in 1966 from the

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two Territories became the state of Oklahom ...

and received his

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

in 1969 from the OU College of Law, where he focused on oil and gas law. After graduating from OU, Smith began a partner with Lawrence, Smith and Harmon. The later left that firm to become President of Red Rock Exploration, Inc., an

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...

based oil and gas exploration company with operations in central and western Oklahoma. While with Red Rock, Smith was elected to the Board of Director of the Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association in 1981, a position he would hold until 1995. In 1983, Smith became a partner with the Oklahoma law firm of Lawrence and Ellis. Smith was elected President of the Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association in 1994. Smith was appointed to the

Oklahoma Energy Resources Board The Oklahoma Energy Resources Board (abbreviated OERB) is an agency of the state of Oklahoma. Funded voluntarily by Oklahoma's oil and natural gas producers and royalty owners, the OERB conducts environmental restoration of orphaned and abandoned ...

, a state board that conducts environmental restoration of orphaned and abandoned well sites, encourages the wise and efficient use of energy, and promotes energy education, and was, in 1994, elected that Board's Secretary.

Keating Administration

When

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

was elected

in 1994, Keating asked Smith to join his Administration as his

Secretary of Energy The United States secretary of energy is the head of the United States Department of Energy, a member of the Cabinet of the United States, and fifteenth in the presidential line of succession. The position was created on October 1, 1977, when Pr ...

in Governor Keating's Cabinet. As Energy Secretary, Smith was responsible for developing fossil energy policy for the State as well as providing oversight to the State's energy agencies, including the

Oklahoma Corporation Commission The Oklahoma Corporation Commission is the public utilities commission of the U.S state of Oklahoma run by three statewide elected commissioners. Authorized to employ more than 400 employees, it regulates oil and gas drilling, utilities and teleph ...

, the

Oklahoma Department of Mines The Oklahoma Department of Mines (ODOM) is a department of the government of Oklahoma responsible for overseeing and regulating all surface and sub-surface mining activities in the State. The Department is also responsible for the reclamation of ...

, and the

. Additionally, Secretary Smith served as Governor Keating's official representative to the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission, the Southern States Energy Board, the Interstate Mining Compact Commission and the Governors’ Ethanol Coalition. Smith remained as Keating's Energy Secretary until 2002 when he resigned to join the

George W. Bush Administration George W. Bush's tenure as the 43rd president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 2001, and ended on January 20, 2009. Bush, a Republican from Texas, took office following a narrow victory over Democratic in ...

. Keating appointed Robert J. Sullivan Jr., a Tulsa businessman, to succeed Smith as Secretary.

Bush Administration

In 2002, President

appointed Smith to serve as his Assistant Secretary of Energy for Fossil Energy within the

United States Department of Energy The United States Department of Energy (DOE) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government that oversees U.S. national energy policy and manages the research and development of nuclear power and nuclear weapons in the United Stat ...

. As Assistant Secretary, Smith served as the primary policy advisor to

United States Secretary of Energy The United States secretary of energy is the head of the United States Department of Energy, a member of the Cabinet of the United States, and fifteenth in the United States presidential line of succession, presidential line of succession. The po ...

Spencer Abraham Edward Spencer Abraham (born June 12, 1952) is an American attorney, author, and politician who served as the tenth United States Secretary of Energy from 2001 to 2005, under President George W. Bush. A member of the Republican Party, Abraham pre ...

on federal coal, petroleum, and natural gas programs. Smith oversaw nearly 1,000 scientists, engineers, technicians and administrative staff in two national laboratories, four field offices and at DOE's headquarters in Washington, D.C. He was responsible for several high-priority presidential initiatives, including the implementation of the Bush Administration's $2 billion development of a new generation of environmentally sound clean coal technologies and the $1 billion FutureGen project. His duties also included managing the nation's Strategic Petroleum Reserve and the Northeast Home Heating Oil Reserve.

Return to private sector

Smith resigned as assistant secretary in 2004 to return to Oklahoma. He joined Dunlap Codding & Rogers, one of Oklahoma's oldest and largest dedicated intellectual property law firms.

IOGCC

The Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission, an

interstate compact The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States. T ...

of 30 US States that works to promote the conservation and efficient recovery of the nation's domestic oil and natural gas resources, appointed Smith as their Executive Director in March 2008.

References

External links

IOGCC Press release naming Smith as Executive Director
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Carl Michael 1944 births Living people State cabinet secretaries of Oklahoma United States Department of Energy officials University of Oklahoma alumni University of Oklahoma College of Law alumni George W. Bush administration personnel Oklahoma lawyers