By Rich Heidorn Jr.

WASHINGTON — Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry said Thursday he regrets calling for an end to the Department of Energy and is now “excited and passionate” about leading the agency as secretary.

Perry — who famously forgot the department’s name when he called for its abolition during a presidential debate five years ago — addressed the issue in his opening remarks during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

Perry also joined President-elect Donald Trump’s nominees for the Interior Department and EPA in saying he believes climate change is real and that manmade activity is a contributor — but that the degree of man’s impact and the proper response remain under debate.

Perry’s solicitous, self-deprecating manner occasionally brought laughs from senators and the audience, a contrast to the tense hearing a day before for Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, Trump’s nominee for EPA. But Democrats nevertheless pressed Perry on his contention that climate science remains unsettled. (See Dems Unmoved by EPA Pick’s Charm Offensive.)

Budget Cuts?

Perry also appeared caught off guard when Democrats on the panel asked him about a report by The Hill that the Trump transition team plans to eliminate the Energy Department’s offices of Electricity and Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), along with the Office of Fossil Energy, which has overseen research on reducing CO₂ emissions. Funding for nuclear physics and advanced scientific computing research would be reduced to 2008 levels, according to the report.

In his opening statement, Perry said his view on the department’s value had evolved after being briefed on its “vital functions.”

Democrats said the proposed budget cuts would threaten the research programs Perry claimed to now support.

“It’s hard to see how we can pursue an ‘all of the above’ [energy] strategy if so much of the department’s all-of-the-above capabilities are limited,” said Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii).

“They’re cutting the legs out from under you,” said Sen. Angus King (I-Maine).

“I can’t answer whether that’s true or not,” Perry said of the news report. “I will be in the room advocating for [DOE research]. I’m not going to tell you I’m going to be 1,000% successful.”

Later, Perry said he would evaluate the worth of department programs as a “fiscal conservative,” saying “you can’t change the stripes on this zebra.”

Committee Chair Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said in her opening remarks that she was not concerned that Perry, unlike his two immediate predecessors, is not a scientist. “What we need is a good manager,” she said.

‘Climate is Changing’

The hearing returned several times to Perry’s new position on climate change. Democrats noted that Perry had previously been dismissive, claiming in 2011 that scientists were manipulating data for financial gain and contending as recently as 2014 that there was no “settled science” on the subject.

“I believe the climate is changing. I believe some of it is naturally occurring, but some of it is also caused by manmade activity,” Perry said in his opening statement. “The question is how do we address it in a thoughtful way that doesn’t compromise economic growth, the affordability of energy or American jobs. … I am committed to making decisions based on sound science and that also take into account the economic impact.”

Hirono asked if his economic analysis would include the costs of not addressing climate change.

“Absolutely,” Perry responded, citing the emission reductions and wind development that occurred in Texas during his 14 years as governor. Perry, however, rejected Hirono’s call for a national renewable portfolio standard, saying he would leave such targets to states.

Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) attempted unsuccessfully to pin Perry down on what share of global warming is manmade, noting data released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Wednesday that 2016 was the hottest year on record, surpassing records set in 2015 and 2014.

“Ninety-seven percent of climate scientists say that this is real,” Franken said. “So it seems to me that the science on climate change is pretty definitive.”

Perry also received pleas for help from coal state Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Steve Daines (R-Mont.). Daines decried plans to close two of the coal-fired Colstrip plant’s four units by 2022. He said EPA’s Clean Power Plan will eliminate 7,000 jobs in his state and turn it from an energy exporter to an importer.

Perry responded that he is confident that scientists will develop carbon capture technology ensuring the continued use of coal.

WAPA, LNG and Yucca Mountain

Senators sought commitments from Perry on an assortment of other issues during the nearly four-hour hearing.

Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) called for more transparency regarding spending by the department’s Western Area Power Administration. The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is looking at a $767 million surplus at the power marketing administration to see if it should have been used to reduce rates.

Maine’s King expressed fear that U.S. natural gas prices will increase if the government allows increasing exports of LNG.

Perry said he would commit to not “artificially affecting supply and demand” and suggested EPA and Interior Department regulations were constricting gas supplies. “It makes abundant good sense to me to sell it to the world,” he said.

Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) sought assurances that Perry would not back a resumption of plans to create a nuclear waste dump in Yucca Mountain near Las Vegas. Perry pledged to consider alternatives but added: “I will not say absolutely no way is Nevada going to be receiving high-level waste.”