The NEWS asked Washam for a couple of predictions and an update on ACCA’s activities in Washington.

U.S. Secretary of Energy, Rick Perry, and U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Wilbur Ross, welcomed the announcement from the Government of Ukraine that Ukrainian state-owned power generation company Centrenergo PJSC will purchase American thermal coal ahead of the upcoming winter season. 

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced that James M. Owendoff, who has served as a senior advisor to the assistant secretary in the office of Environmental Management (EM) since January 2010, has been named principal deputy assistant secretary in the office of Environmental Management.

According to Secretary Rick Perry, in a statement released June 1, 2017, “Today, the president announced that the U.S. will no longer be bound by an agreement unilaterally entered into by the Obama administration. This was neither submitted to nor ratified by the U.S. Senate and is not in the best long term economic interest of the U.S. President Trump’s decision will prove to be the right course of action and one I fully support.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced the efforts of 345 leading public and private sector organizations in the Better Buildings Challenge have led to a combined 240 trillion Btu and an estimated $1.9 billion in cumulative energy and cost savings.

Secretary of Energy Rick Perry took part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the opening of Petra Nova, the world’s largest post-combustion carbon capture project, which was completed on schedule and on budget. The large-scale demonstration project, located at the W.A. Parish power plant in Thompsons, Texas, is a joint venture between NRG Energy (NRG) and JX Nippon Oil & Gas Exploration Corporation (JX).

Former Texas Governor Rick Perry was sworn in as the 14th Secretary of the United States Department of Energy (DOE) on March 2.