Energy Secretary Steven Chu is SOTU ‘Designated Survivor’

Should tragedy strike on a massive scale, get ready for President Steven Chu. The outgoing energy secretary is the “Designated Survivor” Cabinet member not in attendance at tonight’s State of the Union address.

One member of the president’s Cabinet sits out each SOTU address in case a catastrophe incapacitated the president and other key members of his administration.

Chu was recently the target of a story from the Onion, which jokingly accused him of having a romantic tryst with a solar panel. Showing he’s a good sport, Chu responded directly to the “allegation” on Facebook, writing:

"I just want everyone to know that my decision not to serve a second term as Energy Secretary has absolutely nothing to do with the allegations made in this week's edition of the Onion. While I'm not going to confirm or deny the charges specifically, I will say that clean, renewable solar power is a growing source of U.S. jobs and is becoming more and more affordable, so it's no surprise that lots of Americans are falling in love with solar."