Jeff Bingaman: “I hope that you will be able to make the improvements to the bill so that this important program can be reestablished.”

I think all of us, if we were choosing a Secretary of Energy, would want to choose somebody with those attributes.

He has demonstrated, on numerous occasions, his ability to find solutions to very difficult problems and to find solutions that could gain the support of Democrats, Republicans and Independents alike.

First we would want a person as Secretary of Energy who had a knowledge of science and engineering.

I would certainly like to thank Senator Bingaman, who just retired just very recently, for the strong support that he has shown me over the years, and including support for this nomination.