Former Texas Governor Rick Perry was sworn in on Thursday, 2 March, as the 14th Secretary of the United States Department of Energy (DoE).
Perry is now leading the department he wanted to see abolished when he ran for president in 2011.
Perry recently apologised for his stance, adding that his past statements about abolishing DoE do not reflect his current thinking.
On a more positive note, during Perry’s 14 years as the governor of Texas, the state created 2.2 million jobs and led the nation in energy production — not just in oil and gas, but also in wind energy. Texas now produces more wind energy than all but six countries in the world, according to DoE.
Under his leadership, DoE said that Texas reduced its carbon footprint by 17%, reduced sulfur dioxide by 56%, and nitrogen oxide by 66%.
“As Secretary, I will advocate and promote American energy in all forms. America has been blessed with vast natural resources and the technology to utilize them. I am committed to helping provide stable, reliable, affordable, and secure sources of American energy. An American first energy strategy is important to create jobs and grow the economy,” said Secretary Perry.
“I have a long record of aggressively courting leading scientific minds to set forth innovation, solutions, and job creation strategies. Our scientists and labs are the envy of the world, and I am a major proponent of maintaining American leadership in the area of scientific inquiry.”