Rick Perry wrapped up his final day as head of the Energy Department yesterday thanking his family, the American people, and the Trump administration for allowing him to serve the agency.
Perry wrote in a tweet on Sunday, “Today I bid farewell to the Department of @ENERGY. It has been the honor and privilege of a lifetime to serve in the @realDonaldTrump Administration as your Secretary. Thank you to my wife, my children, and to the American people for allowing me to serve. Signing off. – RP”
Perry’s resignation was first announced by the president at a Cabinet meeting in October. Shortly after, Trump said Deputy Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette would be nominated to replace Perry.
And we should hope Mr. Brouillette follows in Perry’s footsteps. That’s because Perry was not only one of the Trump administration’s greatest assets, but he actually contributed positively to the long-term success of the nation.
Perry avoided negative press and scandals throughout his tenure. He didn’t brush up against social politics in any way and fostered good relationships in Washington. That’s because Rick Perry, colloquially, knows what’s up.
Perry is a career politician. He has been in and around politics for more than 35 years, being first elected to the Texas House of Representatives as a Democrat. Perry knows how to play the game and enjoys relative popularity among his peers on Capital Hill, which has likely shielded him from vengeful attacks.
On top of that, Perry was good and loyal offense for Team Trump. He scored goals and (perhaps more importantly) didn’t piss off the coach or the fans. If you were building a fantasy political Cabinet, you’d want Rick Perry as Energy Secretary.
Most importantly, Mr. Perry helped usher America into a new dawn of energy independence as head of the Department of Energy. Under his leadership, America became the largest producer of fossil fuels in the world. The United States now produces almost 16 million barrels of oil per day. In 2018, America accounted for 98% of all global growth in oil production.
At the same time, Perry adamantly pushed for the development of alternative energy such as wind and solar. During Perry’s term, the DOE allocated billions to research and development of fossil fuel alternatives.
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Among Perry’s biggest contributions to America’s energy business is perhaps his successful negotiation with the European Commission (EC) to import liquefied natural gas (LNG).
Back in May, Perry signed two export orders that will more than double America’s LNG exports to 112 billion cubic feet (Bcf) by next year. The EC also says LNG imports could increase from there to 282 Bcf by 2023. LNG is the hottest sector in the energy market right now. Perry’s legacy of international diplomacy will serve as a shining star amid America’s energy industry.
The Energy Department says Perry’s replacement, Dan Brouillette, has three decades of experience in both the public and private sectors, most recently serving as Senior Vice President and head of public policy for USAA, the Nation’s leading provider of financial services to the military community. The DOE says prior to that, Mr. Brouillette was a Vice President of Ford Motor Company, where he led the automaker’s domestic policy teams.
Let’s hope Mr. Brouillette can fill Perry’s shoes.
Until next time,
Luke Burgess
As an editor at Energy and Capital, Luke’s analysis and market research reach hundreds of thousands of investors every day. Luke is also a contributing editor of Angel Publishing’s Bull and Bust Report newsletter. There, he helps investors in leveraging the future supply-demand imbalance that he believes could be key to a cyclical upswing in the hard asset markets. For more on Luke, go to his editor’s page.
