Texas Republican Rep. Pete Olson will take the spot vacated by former Rep. Ed Whitfield as the chairman of the Energy and Power Subcommittee on the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
Olson made the announcement Wednesday afternoon. Whitfield resigned on Tuesday, a few months ahead of the end of his final term in Congress.
Olson, a four-term congressman from the Houston area, had been serving as vice chairman of the subcommittee. He said he learned much from Whitfield and was looking forward to stepping into the role.
“As vice chairman of the Energy and Power Subcommittee, it has been a pleasure to serve under Chairman Whitfield. He was a tremendous leader of this panel, and taught me a great deal about both the policy and procedure important to this subcommittee,” Olson said.
“I want to thank Chairman [Fred] Upton for giving me the opportunity not only to serve as vice chairman, but also for the opportunity to step up and oversee subcommittee operations in Whitfield’s absence.”
Olson led his first hearing Wednesday morning. He’s a former Navy pilot who entered the service after taking the Texas Bar exam and has served as an aide to former Texas Sen. Phil Gramm and Texas Sen. John Cornyn.
