TRUMP NOMINATES RICK PERRY TO CRUCIAL ENERGY SECRETARY POST

WASHINGTON: US President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday picked Rick Perry as the energy secretary, a department that the former Texas governor once wanted to abolish.

Perry, 66, a former Republican presidential aspirant in 2008 and 2012, was once a vocal critic of Trump during the primaries.

“As the Governor of Texas, Rick Perry created a business climate that produced millions of new jobs and lower energy prices in his state, and he will bring that same approach to our entire country as Secretary of Energy,” Trump said.

In a statement, the transition team described him as one of the most successful governors in modern history, having led Texas through a sustained period of economic growth and prosperity by developing the state’s energy resources and infrastructure, and making low-cost energy available to companies and families. “My administration is going to make sure we take advantage of our huge natural resource deposits to make America energy independent and create vast new wealth for our nation, and Rick Perry is going to do an amazing job as the leader of that process,” Trump said.

Houston, the biggest cities in Texas, which is one of the country s largest states and one of the largest economies in the world, is considered as the energy capital of the world. It is home to top energy companies of the world. “As the former governor of the nation’s largest energy producing state, I know American energy is critical to our economy and our security,” Perry said.

“I look forward to engaging in a conversation about the development, stewardship and regulation of our energy resources, safeguarding our nuclear arsenal, and promoting an American energy policy that creates jobs and puts America first,” he added.

With his executive experience, Perry will carry out Trump s vision to make America energy independent, create millions of new jobs, and protect clean air and water, the transition team said.