07/28/1976
https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu...
"October 1, 1977, as the effective date of that Act"
"The Department of Energy will be in operation less than 2 months after I signed the enabling legislation."
"The creation of a Department of Energy is an important step toward dealing with our energy problems."
"The rapid progress to date of national energy legislation through the Congress reflects the determination on the part of both the Congress and this administration to end the years of delay in dealing ..."