Thomas Catenacci writes for the Washington Free Beacon about a positive development in energy policy.
As Donald Trump’s energy secretary, Dan Brouillette unleashed an energy boom, with America becoming a net energy exporter and producer for the first time in 75 years thanks to record-high oil and gas production. Now, Brouillette is positioned to potentially serve in the second Trump administration, saying Trump’s victory is an opportunity to “reshape U.S. energy policy” and usher in “an era of unprecedented innovation.”
After four years of the Biden-Harris administration, which prioritized green energy policies to fight climate change and rolled back Trump-era energy policies in the process, proponents of an all-of-the-above energy strategy are excited about the possibility of Brouillette returning to the Trump administration.
The excitement underscores the centrality of energy policy to Trump’s economic vision. The president-elect has made clear he views slashing energy prices as the key to battling inflation and blunting the spike in housing prices. “If we open up American energy, you will get immediate pricing release, relief, for American citizens—not, by the way, just in housing, but in a whole host of other economic goods too,” Trump’s vice presidential pick, J.D. Vance, said during a debate.
Brouillette—who holds a master’s degree in intelligence and national security from the Citadel Military College of South Carolina—is a former tank commander with the Army’s 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment and a recipient of the prestigious Distinguished Public Service awards, handed out by the Pentagon and State Department. In 2004, he was hired by Ford Motor Company as a senior vice president before joining the United States Automobile Association in a similar role in 2006.
Trump selected Brouillette to serve as deputy energy secretary in 2017 and to serve as energy secretary in 2019, after then-secretary Rick Perry left the department. Brouillette is the only person ever to receive Senate confirmation for both roles.
