Senate confirms new U.S. energy secretary. Hanford is a top priority, he says

The U.S. Senate confirmed Dan Brouillette as the nation’s next energy secretary Monday afternoon.

The vote was 70-15.

Sens. Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray, both D-Wash., voted in favor, and Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, both D-Ore., were opposed.

Brouillette has served as the deputy secretary under Rick Perry, who resigned form his position as energy secretary effective Dec. 1, making Brouillette the acting secretary.

Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., said after the confirmation vote that Brouillette has demonstrated an understanding both of priorities for Hanford nuclear reservation environmental cleanup and also the research at Pacific Northwest National National Laboratory in Richland, including research on renewable energy sources and improving the nation’s energy grid.

Cantwell questioned Brouillette when he came before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources committee about his commitment to meeting legal cleanup deadlines at Hanford.

Brouilllete told her that the Hanford site ranks “right at the top of my priority list, and should I be confirmed as secretary, I will be there quite often.”

Wyden said before the vote that he would oppose Brouillette’s nomination because he had not received substantive answers from Brouillette regarding Perry’s dealings with the Ukrainian-owned energy company, Naftogaz.

Perry must have had DOE staff support, Wyden said.