The Senate has confirmed Dan Brouillette as the new Secretary of Energy Monday night, with a 70-15 show of bipartisan support for the Trump nominee.
Senator Joe Manchin, a Democrat from coal-producing West Virginia, said ahead of the vote that Brouillette was “really the right person (at the) right time for this job.”
Brouillette was vice president at Ford Motor Company from 2004 to 2006. After that, he headed public policy for the United Service Automobile Association (USAA), which offers insurance and financial services to veterans. A native of Louisiana, he was a member of the state’s Mineral and Energy Board from 2013 to 2016.
Brouilette had also served in several roles within the government, including as chief of staff to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce, and assistant secretary of Energy for Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs.
“Through the power of innovation, the U.S. is leading the world in both energy production and the reduction of emissions. America has become the world’s top producer of oil and natural gas, and we will soon become a net energy exporter.”
He added that “since 2005, national greenhouse gas emissions have fallen by 13 percent, and power sector emissions have fallen by 27.6 percent, according to EPA. That is something we are very proud of.”
He finished by saying that the department will “play an important role in developing a brighter future for America” and that he looks forward to “focusing on DOE’s mission in energy security, scientific discovery, environmental stewardship, and national security.”
