President Trump is nominating Dan Brouillette to be secretary of the Energy Department to replace Rick Perry.
Trump announced the move in a tweet Friday, a day after Perry announced his resignation effective by the end of the year.
….He is also my friend! At the same time, I am pleased to nominate Deputy Secretary Dan Brouillette to be the new Secretary of Energy. Dan’s experience in the sector is unparalleled. A total professional, I have no doubt that Dan will do a great job!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 18, 2019
Brouillette is currently the deputy energy secretary, working as Perry’s second in command.
Trump’s selection of Brouillette follows his preference of replacing the original heads of his core environmental and energy agencies, who were generally people with political backgrounds, with more seasoned hands who possess traditional expertise in their field.
He chose Andrew Wheeler to replace Scott Pruitt at the Environmental Protection Agency and David Bernhardt to succeed Ryan Zinke at the Interior Department.
“President Trump has enough to worry about elsewhere so appointing Brouillette would fill an open slot without making unneeded waves,” said Dan Eberhart, CEO of the oil services firm Canary and a Trump donor. “I don’t expect we will see a big change of direction at DOE. Brouillette is a steady hand.”
Indeed, Brouillette is unlikely to change the “energy dominance” agenda set by the Perry during his tenure, which focused mostly on exporting coal and natural gas.
Brouillette has been filling in for Perry at Cabinet meetings during Perry’s travels abroad to promote exports of U.S. energy, according to multiple sources.
“He knows how to work the department from all angles and is an effective manager,” said Joe McMonigle, a former DOE chief of staff in the George W. Bush administration. “Dan is really not going to miss a beat.”
McMonigle overlapped at the agency with Brouillette, a career conservative bureaucrat who worked on legislative affairs in the Bush administration.
Brouillette thanked Perry in a tweet Friday, celebrating their work together at DOE.
“We’ve achieved true energy independence and have shared the benefits of this success story with the American people and the world,” Brouillette said.
Brouillette has worked senior positions in and out of government, including stints as Ford’s vice president for domestic policy and chief of staff for the House Energy and Commerce Committee. He also has been an energy regulator in Louisiana.
The Senate confirmed him as deputy energy secretary in August 2017 in a bipartisan 79-17 vote.
